ghostwolfmotherhawk: prairieunicornlionlioness (Independent)

You could be forgiven for thinking that Tyranahorse is a straightforward venture for its frontwoman, Prophecy Sun. After all, her 2009 solo disc, Cat Paws, was a sonic experiment of full-throated moanings and white noise that was dedicated to her many feline friends. It was a little weird, to say the least.

But while Tyranahorse’s giddy pop-rock seems a little less off the beaten path, the outfit’s epically titled ghostwolfmotherhawk: prairieunicornlionlioness shares Sun’s sense of the strange.

Opener “Britney Wolf” is about the only track that plays it safe, between its bubblegum melodies and ultra-peppy backbeat. Most moments, however, jazz up standard song structures with surreal sounds.

The hard-rocking anthem “Keep It Together” feels like it should have been plucked from Bruce Springsteen’s ’80s songbook, with the troupe singing a refrain about pounding back pilsners and whiskey shots, but things get out-there mid-song when Sun drops a theremin solo that transports the tune out of a New Jersey dive bar and into a mad scientist’s laboratory. “Margaret” starts off as a tender ballad, with the singer desperately pleading “Why do you want me?”, but the track eventually dissipates into a stunning Middle Eastern drone of kazoos and keyboards.

And then there’s covocalist Darren Fleet’s enigmatic croon. Cuts like “Sunny Religion” find his voice weebling and wobbling like Jello Biafra riding a jackhammer.

It’s these kinds of quirks that ultimately make Tyranahorse’s debut so compelling. While its melodies are more than pleasant enough, the album’s oddities are what’ll keep you coming back for more.