Fantastic Four

Juxtapony EP (2004)

We say: Later in its career, Point Juncture would develop an almost inhuman level of restraint—a perverse unwillingness to take its songs to the obvious places the listener wants them to go. So it's kind of ironic that the first full tune in PJWA's discography—the blistering "Siesta Movement"—is nearly four satisfying minutes of towering guitar figures and squealing feedback. The band quickly tempers the song's majestic rock attack with the lovely, grinding "Transient Attack" and the unpredictable, vibraphone-fueled "Comments in Jars."

Norwood says: "It's full of wonder and going in a hundred directions at once. But that EP has every genre that we've continued to do—proggy stuff, pop-punk stuff, ambient piano ballads. That's all in our first six songs. God, that was fucking eight years ago!"

Standout tracks: The slow-building "Transient Attack"; the thrashy and pretty "Superer."

Mama Auto Boss (2005)

We say: Here we find PJWA challenging itself to expand on its initial sound: changing up time signatures and experimenting with the shoegazey walls of sound that would eventually launch the band's next record into the stratosphere. The lyricism here is also more intentional and evocative, though PJWA often uses vocals more as additional instruments than to forward concrete narratives.

Norwood says: "It felt like a good sequel for us. We had played the Best New Band thing and people were liking us, so we went into that recording with a lot of confidence. But we were learning how to record and doing it all in our own weird way."

Standout tracks: The joyous double-entendre-risking "Happy Ending"; the jazzy, seven-minute epic "Autopilot"; mathy, horn-driven ensemble closer "It Slows Down."

Heart to Elk (2009)

We say: It may have taken three years to record, but Heart to Elk is an absolute must-own Portland record that shines with evidence of its long gestation period at every moment. Opener "Rocks & Sand" is a floaty lounge ballad darkened with sonic undertones of Roland Kirk and Ravi Shankar, and things only get headier from there. Despite its complex wall of sound, the disc glistens with pop appeal and finds plenty of opportunities to rock out.

Norwood says: "That took three years of experimentation, recording and re-recording. We tried everything including the kitchen sink—we recorded in the kitchen. Victor [Nash] and Amanda [Spring] and Wilson [Vediner] were mad scientists. It's epic in so many ways, but that record almost killed us."

Standout tracks: The mid-album stretch of "Sioux Arrow," "Kings Part II" and "The Kings Were Good" is one hell of an exhilarating trifecta.

Handsome Orders (2011)

We say: Heart to Elk should be an impossible act to follow, but PJWA internalized the lessons from that convoluted recording process and streamlined them in a two-week session of home recordings. Handsome Orders' first half is all about taking care of rock 'n' roll business, but its B-side is as layered and interesting as anything the group has done to date. PJWA didn't rush this one, it just knows what it wants these days.

Norwood says: "We're going to be a band for the rest of our lives at this point, so we were just like, 'Let's do it, and then we can do another one!' Touring with the Thermals and the Shaky Hands for six weeks obviously influences a band. So we all got a lot out of our side projects and came back ready to rock."

Standout tracks: Bacharachian opener “When You Wake Up It’s Today”; the lush and harmony-thick “Bones.” 

SEE IT: Point Juncture, WA, plays the Woods on Friday, May 13 with Pigeons and DJ Bill Portland. 9 pm. $8. 21+.

WWeek 2015