Formless/Functional is a 1998 album by Minneapolis alternative rock band Polara, their third full-length album and their last for Interscope Records.

Formless/Functional
Studio album by Polara
Released	March 24, 1998
Studio	Flowers Studio
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Label	Interscope Records
Producer	Ed Ackerson
Polara chronology
C'est la Vie (1997) Formless/Functional (1998) Jetpack Blues (2002)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Trouser Press	(positive) [2]
babysue	[3]

Despite a generally warm reception by critics, the album received little support from its record label. Corporate mergers involving Interscope soon led the label to drop many bands, including Polara.[4]

Reception

Trouser Press writer Ira Robbins described the album as "frisky electro-dance" that moved Polara's sound "into the rhythmatic post-guitar realm of synthesizers, loops and samples," and noted that Jurgens' contributions to the band were especially prominent. Although he felt that "the album goes on a bit too long," Robbins called it "stylish and sophisticated" and said that songwriter and producer Ed Ackerson's "creativity is no less colorful or effective in this realm."[2] Jason Anderson of Allmusic wrote that Ackerson's "ability to completely ignore stylistic boundaries is admirable," but felt that the album did not have a cohesive theme and "sounds thrown together and random."[1] A reviewer for the online magazine babysue praised the album's mix of introspective pop and electronic production, calling it "completely cool" and "absolutely beautiful."[3]

Personnel

• Ed Ackerson: Vocals, guitar, bass, organ, piano, synthesizer, samples, sequences, programming
• Jennifer Jurgens: Vocals, guitar, organs, synthesizer
• Peter Anderson: Drums, percussion
• Engineered by Ed Ackerson (Flowers Studio) and Jason Orris (Terrarium Studio)
• Mastered by Stephen Marcussen
• Design by Ron Clark[5]

Track listing

References