Although on paper Shark Quest appears to be quite the scruffy indie- rock outfit-- they hail from Chapel Hill, employ three guitar players, and released Battle of the Loons on local indie Merge Records (run by Mac and Laura of Superchunk)-- nothing could be further from the truth. Their mellow instrumental ruminations walk a wobbly line between country, surf, and folk, although it doesn't really qualify for any of those genres. I'd call Shark Quest post- rock, but that would just confuse things further, since nobody really knows what that means anyway. One thing's for sure, though; Battle of the Loons lathers up a pretty groovy, if esoteric, vibe throughout its nine tracks.

Often bearing similarity to Polvo's meandering instrumental forays (sans the distortion and Sonic Youth jones), Shark Quest create what could be called East Coast surf music-- layers of clean, twangy guitar lines intertwining around moody cello and understated percussion. From the dark, moody sway of "In A Dive" to the bubbly banjo fingerpicking of "Dead Turkey Gulch," Battle of the Loons shows a surprising amount of restraint; the grooves are propulsive, but never build to a distortion- soaked fever pitch. Shark Quest seem, well, too polite for that. "Blake Carrington"'s churning cello and bouncy guitar licks come the closest to rocking out, but they never quite do.

It's clear that the members of Shark Quest are agile on their instruments; they seem to be combining classical- music backgrounds with a typically indie willingness to experiment with new methods of composition. Battle of the Loons is geek- rock without the self- conscious geekiness-- music that certainly doesn't rock, but has a rather learned, studious charm. The unfortunate downside is that it occasionally takes on the feel of an impassioned academic exercise; the busy arrangements are kind of interesting as you listen, but there's very little sense of drama or emotion that stays with you. It may be cool for wallpaper music, but it's still wallpaper music.

-Nick Mirov