This North Carolina math-rock outfit's reunion disc - coming a full 12 years after the group disbanded in the wake of '97's Shapes - finds Polvo sounding both a bit more straightforward and a little heavier than most fans remember 'em. Sure, the meandering dynamic changes of “D.C. Trails” and off-time noodling that kick off “Beggars Bowl” are classic hallmark's of the band's style, and there's plenty more here that old-school indie-rock heads will recognize and love. Overall, though, it's just a little more, I don't know, concise and musically familiar. Maybe it's just because our ears have become used to hearing this kind of boldly ambitious sonic tinkering over the decade that's passed, but you also can't help but suspect these guys have matured to the point where not everything needs to be as abstract to satsify their collective creative jones. In any case, they're still in fine, exciting form. - Portnoy Jones