Music critics take all kinds of shit for raving about bands that are simply too inscrutable for the normal music fan. We rant and drool over folks who push the envelopes of sonic reality, and folks like my kids just stare and say, "What the hell is this stuff?"

Protovulcan Life Is Twigs/Psychic Pinball 2xEP (self-released)

And yet. A band like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is more than just a passing curiosity. Its vinyl consistently ranks among the best sellers. Yes, vinyl, but hell, it's not like people are buying CDs or anything.

So, yes, Protovulcan is one of those bands. Just your typical Chicago fuzz trio: often, the songs consist of guitar, keyboards, drums and vocoder vocals. Y'know. Like Trans Am. Except much more eclectic. There are more than a few inscrutable moments that are best left to the professional listener. But there's a lot of joy and wonder that should translate to mainstream ears--adventurous ones, at least.

Because this is not a difficult listen. Protovulcan does not make "normal" music, whatever that might be. But it does create some whacked out earworms, and it never takes the easy path. The grooves on these songs are well-earned, and the final result is a jumbled wonderment.

Okay, so the whole "double EP" (which is really the fusing of two releases, though I couldn't really tell you where one begins and the other ends) is yet another "What the hell?" moment. Me, I'm a music critic. And that kind of stuff just makes me smile. Protovulcan is light years away from "normal", but it strikes "great" dead center. Ramble along and enjoy the fuzzy bashing.

Jon Worley