February 24, 2011 Music » Critics' Picks

        
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The Forms

9 p.m. Tuesday, March 1. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

By Shae Moseley shaemoseley@gmail.com

The hypnotic pulse of the Forms' first two albums (2003's Icarus and 2007's self-titled effort) captivated critics and made its less-than-prolific nature somewhat bearable. Still, it was initially disappointing to hear that the duo's latest release, Derealization, is just an EP comprised of reworkings of previously recorded material. But these six songs go much deeper than simple remixes. Arrangements, dynamics, tempos and even lyrics are altered, twisted and morphed, resulting in practically brand-new, fully formed compositions. While guest vocal spots by the likes of the National's Matt Berninger and string arrangements by Dirty Projectors' Nat Baldwin and St. Vincent's Daniel Hart serve as the EP's most obvious selling points, they also offer hope that new compositions will follow this experimental template.

Tags: Critics' Picks, Show Preview, Daniel Hart, Matt Berninger, Nat Baldwin, Dirty Projectors, The Firebird

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