Not Animal is Indianapolis' own Margot & The Nuclear So And So's second disc, but it is not exactly the album the band wanted to present to the public. Signing with Epic Records, a sub-division of Sony, for this disc, after earlier turning down Sony's offer to release their first record, Dust Of Retreat, in favor of an offer from Artemis records (now defunct), the band's early instincts about a major label possibly wanting to tinker with their output has been shown to be right on, but also not exactly right on. In short, Margot brought an album's worth of material to Epic, who were not happy with it. Subsequently, band and label agreed to release the band's vision, called Animal, on vinyl only, while a reconstituted album (with seven different tracks) more to the label's liking would be released on both CD and vinyl and would be called Not Animal. The fact that an unknown band and a major label could reach a compromise such as this is quite amazing, seemingly demonstrating the faith and respect the label has for the band. And while there are significant differences between Animal and Not Animal (with the former being more diverse and less of a straightforward "melodic-rock" record), the essence of the group is certainly conveyed by either release, This essence is the Richard Edward's penchant for constructing beautifully melancholic and melodic minor-key mini-epics that draw varied contributions from the eight-strong members who make up the band. Not Animal opens with "A Children's Crusade On Acid," a wonderfully produced mid-tempo beauty that features phased drums and pattering percussion along with piano and acoustic strums. All this frames Edward's gorgeous melody that strings together allusive imagery and phrases, backed up by nicely varied electric guitar sounds. The song further stands out for focusing it's energies on the verse and middle eight, with little in the way of a standard chorus. "German Motor Car" follows, highlighted by gentle electric guitars nicely complementing Edwards' fragile voice. Longtime crowd-pleaser (at least in Indy) "Broad Ripple Is Burning" was the next song chosen for inclusion by the label, and given that this is one of Margot's strongest numbers, with nicely placed harmonica, horns, and female backing vocals in the mix, one finds it hard to quibble with its presence here. Next up is "Holy Cow," which starts with drums and electric guitars, but gets very hushed in the first chorus before concluding with an epic ending. "Cold, Kind, and Lemon Eyes' continues with the hushed, gentle feel prevalent here, with string-like synths and chimes adding to the tender feel. "As Tall As Cliffs' follows and contains one of Edwards strongest melodies set against a very spare backdrop. But as the album enters into its last third, the songs largely turn away from the melancholy feel that has been so prevalent for a more raucous and cacophonous approach. While "Pages Written on a Wall" certainly contains passages of gentle loveliness, it also emphasizes a looser, rocking atmosphere, as do "The Shivers (I've Got 'em)" and "The Ocean (is Bleeding Salt)". Final tune "Hip Hip Hooray" then returns us to the pleasures of Edwards voice framed by an acoustic guitar. The placement of the three "loudest" songs together and near the end of the album, rather than interspersing them throughout, is the major problem this reviewer has with Not Animal, making for a rather uneven (rather than varied) listening experience. It also tends to dilute the impact of Edwards' mid-tempo ruminations, as they generally follow one upon another with similar tempos and volumes, as well as diluting the impact of the harder-hitting songs on the last third, as they similarly follow one after another. This criticism aside, Not Animal continues to demonstrate the talents of both Edwards' songwriting and the sympathetic and inventive backing of the Margot ensemble. Combine this with the dynamism of their live show, and one hopes that the time is now for the band to be able to break out of the indie-rock (oops, major-label) pack and follow their pursuit of a self-sustainable artistic career.

Dodos consist of only two members, Meric Long on vocals and guitars and Logan Kroeber on drums and percussion, with both members also playing "other stuff". The duo differentiate themselves from their rock brethren by combining the pastoral feel of their vocal harmonies and acoustic instruments such as guitar, banjo, and mandolin, with galloping percussion and drums that recall the tribal feel of African world-music (not surprising given Logan Kroeber's study of African drumming techniques). All this is framed by both members obvious love of country blues which subtly envelopes nearly every song. This results in a very approachable disc, full of familiar elements, that is nevertheless quite unique in how these elements are combined. Sharp acoustic strums and tom-tom like percussion predominate amid the wonderful folk-pop melodies, but the songs also often change tempos and focus mid-stream, while still cohering together beautifully. Add to this their touches of folky psychedelia, and these two musical shape-shifters have elevated themselves far above the over-used description of "eclectic". Rather, they are simply original.