POLAR Vinyl Records and CDs

Ed Ackerson is a Renaissance man. After disassembling his post-Shoegazer, 1960s-pop-influenced band the 27 Various, he went to work building a sonic Erector Set under the moniker of Polara. The songs here are crisp and alive, hitting the listener head-on like a wave of liquid glass. Although the music is refreshingly difficult to categorize, many of these songs still swirl and drip psychedelia reminiscent of his old -- albeit more bionic -- outfit . Polara's shining moments involve towering male/female harmonies and warm, enveloping guitar distortion juxtaposed with cold, dark beats. Ackerson produces sounds that travel from static-filled field recordings to sharp-angled, intergalactic chimes that sound like they were built in some astral laboratory. Innovation at its finest.