Fresh Form for the Forms

I didn’t hang onto the Forms’ 2004 release, Icarus, because I could never quite figure out how to review it. There was something that grabbed my attention, but mainly it seemed too sprawling, running out of energy as it neared the edges of its spread.

Here, though, on their self-titled release from October 2007, the songs grab you right away. With urgent shouts, “Knowledge in Hand” comes on with this underpinning of drums that accent, articulate, and punch the ether. “Alpha” is a darker Yes prog rock with an urgency that makes it fresh.

They’ve been labeled as indie rock, and on the corners of songs, you can hear early R.E.M.—atmospheric, room-filling guitars and nearly indiscernible vocals (“Oberlin”). But, recorded by Steve Albini, The Forms also has the wash commiserate with synth prog rock, but the highs and lows mean that the Forms take you on a journey of electro-guitar-“high-toned vocals” soundscapes.

The Forms
Threespheres