Megafaun cross dusty Americana with clever sonic experiments to create something sublimely odd and wondrous on their second album, Gather, Form & Fly. The trio will place an ancient-sounding fiddle beside an electronic squeal or vocal harmonies next to atonal strangeness and make it all work brilliantly. (Califone fans in particular will probably love the approach on this recording.) A wide range of styles are employed, including well-orchestrated and sweetly melodic tunes (“The Fade,” “The Longest Day”), country blues (“Solid Ground”), delicate acoustic ballads (“Worried Mind”), and wildly improvisational ramblings — and sometimes all within the same song. “Darkest Hour” begins as a sound collage featuring running water and thunderclaps and ends in a woozy sing-along; “Columns” begins a cappella and morphs into looped weirdness and gently hissing feedback; and the exhilarating “Impressions of the Past” takes so many twists and turns that it’s really several songs artfully stitched together. The many surprises and unexpected delights make Gather, Form & Fly an exciting and fully absorbing listen.