Polara (album)

Polara is the first album by Minneapolis alternative rock band Polara.

The group was founded and led by musician and producer Ed Ackerson. The band was considered one of the most prominent and creative groups to emerge from Minneapolis in the 1990s. Billboard writer Deborah Russell called Ackerson and Polara the front of "the emergence of a new local (Twin Cities) scene" more interested in pop music and postpunk than the punk rock of bands like Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, and Matt Hendrickson of Rolling Stone called him "the kingpin of a resurgent Minneapolis music scene." After the breakup of his previous band, the 27 Various, and a short stint as second guitarist in Blake Babies singer John Strohm's band Antenna, Ackerson formed Polara in 1994 with guitarist Jennifer Jurgens, bassist Jason Orris, and Trip Shakespeare's Matt Wilson on drums. The new group continued his interest in 1960s mod-rock and Syd Barrett-style psychedelia and added a heavy element of Krautrock-inspired electronics and keyboards. Released on the Twin Cities label Clean (Twin/Tone), Polara built on the 27 Various' increasing critical buzz, gaining significant national attention. Besides the main band members, Strohm also contributed on multiple instruments.