Chaos And Choral: Megafaun Announce Megafaun

Megafaun “These Words” by Hometapes

The North Carolina group Megafaun has announced the release of their new album, Megafaun, which will arrive via the Portland, Oregon-based label Hometapes on September 20, 2011. Known for an eclectic mix of instrumentation – keys, guitars, banjos, samples – Megafaun’s music never feels like, well, a mix of random instruments.

Like their musical brethren Akron/Family (with whom Megafaun even toured once as a seven-piece band), there are usually two disparate threads going on in the music: a joyous cacophony of sound; a high chorus of American folk-indebted vocal harmonies. Even the band’s name – the Greek “mega” meaning big and powerful; “faun,” the rustic forest spirit – is a conflation of those oppositions.

And Megafaun looks to be the band’s headiest work yet. Pitchfork has the official premiere of the first song from the album, “These Words.” What’s amazing about “These Words” is how seamlessly the band moves between the chaotic, experimental stretches and the charming folk harmonies. There are things that exist in both parts – water sounds, the drums – but in the different contexts, you’d barely notice they’re the same. The song comes crashing to a close in a cappella section, before splashing away in more water. Watch the video below to catch a glimpse of the weirdness (bowing a vibraphone?) that went into making Megafaun.