The first thing that struck me when I listened to the first new Polvo song in a decade was how heavy it is. The band has always rocked, don’t get me wrong. But it was in an slightly unconventional, tunneling Sonic Youth way. The guitars are still spindly and difficult, flexing all the math-rock muscles you’d expect, but the tone is so much beefier. Ash Bowie’s voice is also higher in the mix than ever before. He sounds more assertive and confident, too. It’s everything you always loved about Polvo and, well, more. Chalk one up for reunions, I guess, as I eat crow. I’m kicking myself that I can’t see them Friday night in Charlotte. I haven’t seen them since February of 1998 at the old Elbow Room in Columbia, SC. [via Quarterlife Party]
