1994 was hardly a dark age for Polvo. Alongside bands like Archers of Loaf, Superchunk, and Pavement, cerebral, guitar-driven indie rock was experiencing a renaissance, and no one practiced a more advanced form than Polvo. Originally released as a package of three seven-inch records, Celebrate the New Dark Age is a suite of fuzz-driven elasticity. “Fractured (Like Chandeliers)” is an obtuse phrase that is nonetheless a perfect descriptor of Polvo’s sound; the song funnels into itself, then spins on with flame-throwing spectacle. “City Spirit” and “Solitary Set” are poignant pop songs buried beneath layers of mangled melody and guitar debris. “Virtual Cold” is an outer-space jam that could almost be these North Carolina headbangers’ slipshod answer to a Grateful Dead jam. “Tragic Carpet Ride” and “Every Holy Shroud,” on the other hand, are nothing but tightly coiled nervous energy. The songs bring themselves close to total implosion, but Polvo always manages to keep this wild top from tilting off its axis.