Shapes and Sizes

In this era of post-punk-freak-folk-trip-hop fusion bands, it means little to say that a band defies genre, and it's easy to be cynical about a new band's effort to stand out from the crowd by virtue of their style-hopping weirdness. But in Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, the sophomore effort from Vancouver genre-busters Shapes and Sizes, the weirdness feels genuinely organic. This has much to do with the talents of lead singer Caila Thompson-Hannant, who slides with ease from folksy talk-singing to jagged punk rock to show-offy jazz soloing—and somehow makes it all come together with a voice that can ache and shimmer like Southern blues artist Cat Power or shrill and cackle like punk-rock banshees The Raincoats.

In all likelihood, this sprawling, amorphous style will leave Shapes and Sizes relegated to the freak folk fringe, recommended only by lovers of CocoRosie and Animal Collective, listeners who prefer clutter over clarity, newness over intelligence, fun over feeling. That's a shame. Split Lips is fun—it's weird, it's new—and if you had to give it a genre, you'd probably call it freak folk. But for pure human presence and lyrical heft, for emotional richness and accessibility, Shapes and Sizes are blues through and through.

- Sarah Feldman
05.17.07

If there was any doubt that Vancouver's Shapes and Sizes could make good on the promise of their ambitious first album, that doubt is literally blown to smithereens within the first three minutes of their sophomore effort. "Alone/Alive" bursts forth from the shell of dry, scribbly acoustic guitar stummings into an all-out onslaught of celebratory yelps, stomps, and howls, proclaiming, "Tonight I feel that I'm alive/I spit, I smoke, I widen my stride." There's probably no better way to sum up the general feel of Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner -- from its lip-smacking title down to the final notes of "One, Two, Three," the band's second album is an impressive fleshing out and maturation of the ideas found in their self-titled debut. The ever-so-slightly twee pop sensibilities and the whimsical Sufjan Stevens-like orchestral fare of the first album have evolved (or devolved, take your pick) into a thrilling mess of herky-jerky, math rock/no wave/garage punk/prog rock-iness. The group dynamic has shifted as well. Split Lips finds Caila Thompson-Hannant stepping into the forefront and into her own; she's a huge force on this album, whether creeping along with a muted, warbling croon ("Geese") or sailing into high-pitched, wordless shrieks ("Highlife (I Had Been Duped)"). This isn't to say that Shapes and Sizes have abandoned their sweet side altogether. "The Taste in My Mouth" is as tender and leafy as any of the fare on the previous album; it's all lush horn arrangements, pensive banjos, and wistful vocals shot through with crackling distortion. Simply put: their debut was good, but Split Lips is better. Its immediacy and self-assuredness makes this album feel like a true starting-point for Shapes and Sizes. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide