“Say, kids! There’s a new dance craze sweeping the nation!”

Let us all now roll our eyes into the backs of our heads and slit our
throats.

Thankfully, Portland, OR's The Planet The was not a part of the craze. It was ahead of it; confusing it. The Planet The played confounding music. Difficult to pigeonhole, particularly when they shifted musical gears as much as they did.

But don’t misconstrue. This is entertaining stuff. And you can dance to it. Sort of. But the fact of the matter is that this is not ironic dance music but something truly progressive and iconoclastic. These songs start, go and end where the band wants them, without regard for convention or fashion.

Following the success of their 54º40' or Fight! debut, Physical Angel, The Planet The signed to 5RC, which released You Absorb My Vision. After 11 years as a band, they parted ways in 2006. Singer/guitarist Charlie Salas-Humara has a solo project called Panther (Fryk Beat), a double-drums/loops duo called Romancing, and a more conventional indie rock outfit dubbed Leti Angel with his wife Maggie Vail (ex-Bangs, who is also in Romancing), and ex-Pseudosix and 31knots drummer Joe Kelly.

RIYL: Ex Models, Brainiac, This Heat, Liquid Liquid, early-Yes, Devo