story by Jacob S. Knabb
photo by Isiah Estell

Hailing from Indiana's burgeoning cradle of musicality, Bloomington's The Impossible Shapes have been putting out consistently magical music since they formed in high school with nothing more in mind than to record their fledgling basement jams on an aging 4-track. Five albums later, they've achieved a markedly unique sound, drawing on a diverse set of sources such as The Velvet Underground, The Small Faces, and the earlier fairy-influenced work of Marc Bolan. Though this is certainly a band, filled with equally-talented musicians, Chris Barth has been the primary creative force.

Barth is equal parts William Wordsworth and Kevin Coyne - achieving a rare distillation of high Romanticism and stony psychedelia. His sound has continuously progressed from the post-pubescent and delicately crafted indie-pop debut on Luna Records, The Great Migration, through a string of more fiercely experimental, barely cohesive albums, culminating in their post-psych-British-invasion-rock-freakout debut on Secretly Canadian, We Like It Wild. Alongside more heralded work by Oneida and Danielson Famile, We Like It Wild established The Impossible Shapes as something of a phenomenon: a band with deep audiophile roots, musical acumen and side-project fever. Prolific would be something of an understatement.

BARTH'S INNER VIEW "I'm really into altered states of consciousness and seeing what comes out of them, much like Romantic poets. I want to go as deep into the mysteries of existence as I can. Why? I don't know, why not?"

Their 2004 follow-up, Horus, sidesteps the roiling-rock sound of We Like It Wild, refocusing on the subtler, more bitterly whimsical metaphysics often evidenced in some of their previous work for Luna. But while much has been made of the musical progression The Impossible Shapes have undertaken, not as much has been written about the lyrical growth that has simultaneously and intrinsically happened concurrent to it. Barth has honed his lyrical chops, stripping his concerns back to a glowing core that is equally minimalist, yet strangely lush. So where does this focus derive from? And how does Barth view his own progression? Chicago Innerview asked, and Barth told:

Chris Barth: I am more focused on writing lyrics than ever before. I used to only put words to music because it seemed necessary. Now I often write poetry and lyrics before writing music to them. I feel like I still have a long way to go though. I'm always learning more about words, poetry, spells, and I plan to continue to incorporate that into what we do as much as possible.

Chicago Innerview: You share a definite affinity with the Romantic period, among other literary figures and movements. Why do you think you are drawn to the same metaphysical sense of emotion, and reaction to emotional events?

Chris Barth: I'm really into altered states of consciousness and seeing what comes out of them, much like Romantic poets. I want to go as deep into the mysteries of existence as I can. Why? I don't know, why not?

CI: I'm gonna ask the classic Nick Tosches question here: Do you have any groupies?

CB: Not that I know of. Mostly our shows are full of "indie rock dudes" like us. Not too many "groupie ladies" - though we wouldn't mind having some, so come say hello if you're interested…

CI: What has your experience of Chicago been?

CB: Well, as far as playing shows, Chicago has been wonderful. More than any other city, we always have good, enthusiastic crowds. I think Chicagoans are really into new music. And I've always enjoyed the lake and the museums.

CI: It's not the next Seattle yet, or even the next Minneapolis for that matter, but, as a longtime Indiana native, what do you make of the attention currently being paid to Bloomington's music scene?

CB: I think Bloomington always seems to have an amazing music scene deserving of attention, mostly due to a wealth of creative musicians and interesting bands that are around. And Secretly Canadian, of course, is a big part of that. Having the label there has done a lot for us, and the town. And I think it will be the next Seattle.

The Impossible Shapes :: with Jens Lekman and Palliard :: Schubas :: March 5.