"I Become Small and Go" is the long-awaited full-length from Bay Area's Creeper Lagoon. Long the darlings of the Northern California music scene, Creeper Lagoon combines hi- and low-fi styles culled from a mind-bending array of influences into a ratatouille of straightforward rock 'n' roll, soulful slow jams and raucous hip-hop breakdowns. Samples interface with trippy live beats; dual guitars intersect in elaborate, hallucinatory weaves. Even the most anthemic of choruses incorporates unlikely instruments that range from flutes and vibes to belt buckles and an oxygen oscillator.

"We naturally gravitate toward unexplored territory," explains guitarist/co-singer Sharky Laguana. "The idea of using re-recorded and sampled music has only really been around for 15 years. It's like a new instrument, and it's clearly the direction music is headed. Creeper has always been about mixing emotions with loops and beats."

Early fans of Creeper Lagoon include the Dust Brothers, and in fact, "I Become Small and Go" boasts three tracks produced by Dust Brother John King -- "Empty Ships," "Dear Deadly," and the irresistible "Wonderful Love," an addictive rocker whose chorus features a euphoric rush of guitars crashing over a backdrop of Middle-Eastern ululations. The rest of the album, which features additional production work by Mark Endant (Fiona Apple), is equally adventurous, moving from the noisy pop love refrain of "Dreaming Again" to the majestic power rock of "Second Chance" to "Drink & Drive"'s swampy fatalism and the eerie, magical instrumental "Juno Bass Jam," (which incorporates, among other things, a Bulgarian shepherdess chant.

Those who catch Creeper Lagoon on tour will find that the band offers an equally creative live show. Creeper's amps -- custom built by Ian -- have only two volume settings: on and off. What does that mean, sound-wise? "We're loud," says drummer David Kostiner with a shrug. Versatile, too: onstage, Sharky operates as a one man band within a band, with a tambourine hooked over his microphone stand, a guitar over his shoulder, a keyboard in front of him, and one foot on a sampler pedal.

For Creeper Lagoon, diversity is at the heart of I Become Small and Go, and their aesthetic as a whole. "We have something that not many bands have," Sharky says. "The complete freedom to do anything we want, to explore the different facets and wonders and glories of music and still make it sound like Creeper Lagoon. We've got the potential to go anywhere." And, of course, to bring their audiences along for the ride.