Cryptacize - Mythomania

Judging by the connotations attached to both band and album names – mystery, inscrutability, fabling enigma - it seems Cryptacize (whose line-up includes ex-Deerhoof-er Chris Cohen) are pretty pleased with the uncategorisable sound they’ve crafted. Continuing down the same experimental path trodden by debut Dig That Treasure, Mythomania snakes its way through various genres, impressing with its unpredictability but creating an oddly sterile listening experience. In theory, the complexity of their sound should make getting lost in its folds an irresistible prospect, but it’s easy to zone out during its meanderings, which at times too closely resemble second-rate pseudo-Stereolab. But when it works, it really works: the playful off-kilter rhythm and autoharp glisten of Blue Tears cuts through the muso seriousness, while Gotta Get Into That Feeling begins like (geeky Nintendo reference alert) an Ocarina spell from Zelda before morphing into a sci-fi lullaby that both soothes and disturbs equally.