Polmo Polpo
Like Hearts Swelling
Constellation
There’s something a little bit brighter in the sweeping chords and mumbling electronics of Polmo Polpo than I’ve come to associate with Constellation Records. Sure, “Romeo Heart” features similar yawning, gaping guitar lines and a filthy jet engine hum settling on the horizon. But by “Requiem For a Fox”, the Brothers’ Grimm ambiance is set aside for the wooly heartbeat of sweatered robots loping through an African savannah and ultimately opting for the disco scene instead.
Later, on “Sky Histoire,” slide guitars slough off all Morriconeian posturing and head for Hawaiian beaches, throwing luaus with hyperactive cellos and seasick synthesizers. “Like Hearts Swelling” begins with a dusty and scratched swing record, stuck in a groove, before steering into the avant-jazz weirdness of Town & Country with its dissonant yelping instruments and sine wave undulations. It’s all hot, clammy and confused, and perfectly evocative of its title. In short, this is Constellation post-rock with none of the pathos and a few nods toward Chicago. It’s very awesome.
Constellation Records: http://www.cstrecords.com/
