Fun Fun Fun Fest Artist Preview: Polvo

“Polvo spent 90 to 98 giving voice to a chorus of discrete [sic] rock & roll ideas that really hadn't been heard before,” states Mike Wolf on the Merge Records website in reference to the original run by the indie rock heroes. It’s always a bold statement to claim any musical act has created something new, but in this case it might very well be true. Certainly the peculiar, quirky, maddening form of musicore known as math rock - progressive rock by any other name would still smell like postpunk - would not have been nearly as interesting or exhilarating without the North Carolina quartet’s 90s landmarks Today’s Active Lifestyles, Exploded Drawing or Shapes.

Since reconvening after 12 years of living other lives, the members of Polvo - guitarists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski, bassist Steve Popson and current drummer Brian Quast - have not only played the requisite high profile reunion shows but also released In Prism, a new album every bit as dense, powerful and acclaimed as its four predecessors, though also a bit more tuneful. Seeing Polvo bring this and its other epics to life in a festival setting, where time limits mean bullshit must be cut and rocking must commence with all due speed, may very well be the sonic equivalent of placing oneself at the center of a nuclear tornado - and liking it. Want a rock show to engage your brain as much as your ‘nads? Polvo’s slot on the Orange Stage on Sunday Nov. 7 will be the place to clash gears.

Listen to their In Prism single “Beggars Bowl” here and watch video of the band wrangling Wall of Voodoo’s “Mexican Radio” here.