Planetary Nebula

Truth be told, most bands here and elsewhere fall into a few narrow categories. Planetary Nebula, in contrast, busts through descriptive barriers with aplomb, and the combo’s unpredictability makes Ornamental a lively listen.

The group’s instrumentation is hardly radical: two guitars, bass and drums intermittently supplemented by saxophone, cornet, strings and hand claps. All the same, there are plenty of wild cards on hand, including Mike Wolf’s plucked-chicken yelping, the strident guitar manipulations of Wolf and Jason Campbell, and the rhythm section of bassist Paul Leonard and drummer Joel Rieck, who ably handle all the curves thrown at them throughout stop-and-start rockers such as “You Know You’re Wrong” and the hyperkinetic “Soldier.”

As is implied by the title of “Bipolar Blues,” these four aren’t always of one mind, and as a consequence, some of their songs seem like collections of fragments, not cohesive compositions. But the element of surprise keeps Planetary Nebula in orbit.