They take from the weird things that appeal to them and surround them with music. Together, the two comprise Piñataland, a worldbeat-inflected group they founded while attending Hampshire College in the early '90s. Several years later, Piñataland landed in New York City to explore and experiment with song and craft. What arrived was a glorious five-piece band and a dazzling mix of tubas, violins, accordions, guitars, and drums. Their self-titled album appeared in 1997 on their own Mekkatone label; two years later, they released Songs from Konijn Kok. It would be four years until Piñataland would follow things up, for the bandmembers wanted to take their time in composing a rich, layered storybook. Songs for the Forgotten Future, Vol. 1 (2003), their most abstract material to date, was well worth the wait. ~ MacKenzie Wilson