The Biggest Book You'll Never Read actually isn't all that big. However, at roughly fifteen minutes long, it covers a surprisingly wide swath of sonic ground. That's all the time it takes for husband and wife duo Hiram Lucke and Melissa Rodenbeek to cram in a multitude of genre-bending sounds and samples, from hip-hop to electronica to folk, creating an unusually compelling, if somewhat disorienting listen. The first two tracks, "You're a Real Jackass" and "Blue and Green Lawnmower", are primarily composed of odd spoken word snippets layered over trippy keyboard-based beats. Jazzy horns and hazy vocals complete the laptop pop sound that dominates the EP's first half. It's a fun, static-filled affair, complete with slinky basslines and pseudo-hip-hop beats.

Then, just when you're getting comfortable with the experimental ambience, The Harvey Girls switch gears -- more abruptly and less successfully than notorious genre-hoppers The Fiery Furnaces. Out come the acoustic guitars, and before you can say "Gallowsbird's Bark", the band is in full-on folk singer/songwriter mode. The somber "Someone Who Looks A Lot Like Them" and the pensive, piano-driven "Rose of Sharon" aren't necessary weak, but they come out of nowhere, without any sort of transitional material; a smoother shift would give The Biggest Book a greater sense of cohesiveness and focus. Standout "Don't Answer Me" does it right, successfully combining the band's folk leanings with its electronic tendencies, melding tender lyrics, gentle acoustic guitar and crashing synth squiggles, culminating in a gorgeous, droning epic.

The EP's scope is huge, but it's too short to give an accurate indication of how (and in which direction) The Harvey Girls' sound will grow as they mature. If they can continue to blend genres as effectively as they do on some of these tracks, they'll create some of the most weirdly wonderful "books" you'll ever read.