Polynya - Polynya

Luke Berchowitz is a former Madisonian now living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Together with Amelia, Andrea, Pat, and Thom, they comprise Polynya and their eponymous debut was released this summer. Any band naming themselves after a "non-linear area of open water surrounded by sea ice" has to be interesting. I suppose that the band inhabits the indie rock genre but I don't have any hip band names to drop in comparison. Instead I will offer that Polynya deconstruct the pop song and reassemble it after having tweaked a bit here or replaced another element altogether there. And they do it all under the guidance of a post-rock alchemist.

Take "Cubicle". It begins with a straight-ahead beat and jangly guitar ala REM but then a synthesizer pops up for a stint before some heavily processed vocals cut in. Of the five members of the band, four of them contribute their voices and they are put to good use on one of my favorite cuts from the album, "Tarantula". It has a relentlessly steady beat and plenty of harmony vocals, both male and female. With lines like, "I'm open to all things that come my way", the song has a very expansive feel. Then there's the fantastic guitar soloing in the second half of the tune. Imagine the Velvet Underground having done road music. There are certainly nods to 60s pop scattered about the album but perhaps nowhere so blatant as on "Without a Trace". It's got the organ sound of the time and the breezy nonchalance of the West Coast scene which gave us the Mamas and the Papas.

This is followed up by the more playful "Where Am I". All manner of sounds from guitars and keys churn away in the background while an almost dreamy accordion evokes the childhood fun to be had in the summertime. "Sweatshop" is one of the heavier songs and also more straightforward. With its gritty guitar, it's a piece of garage rock, albeit a bit twisted and with a bit of synthesizer instead of organ. At almost six minutes, "Islands" is the closest thing to an epic on the album. Amelia and Andrea take the vocal chores here and their voices echo into the distance over a landscape of slinky synths that would sound at home on an Ozric Tentacles album.

I'll admit that it took some time for Polynya to sink in. The songs may seem simple at first listen, but they're really intricate tapestries woven with care. Odd synth sounds pop up at the most appropriate moments along with a snippet of an unearthly sounding guitar or a bit of percussion. And, while most of the band sings at one point or another, Amelia and Andrea's voices are the stars. They can be more conventional as when shouting "Get to work now, this is for kids" in "Sweatshop" or take on a diaphanous quality as they do in "Islands".

Here's to hoping that Polynya start playing outside of Chapel Hill.