"I might surprise you and rise to the occasion now and then," sang Zac Pennington years ago. "Flesh of my flesh, don't hold your breath." Such self-effacement from the leader of Parenthetical Girls runs as a thread through the mound of material the band's released during the last decade, but don't put too much faith in it: With a cadre of collaborators, Pennington has built pop songs with classical audacity and postmodern inclusivity, turning his askance examinations of the world into five-minute symphonies. Pennington's music has never moved beyond its cultish clutch, in part due to its unwieldy sophistication. But don't be bullied from the depth; these songs almost always rise. With Cassis Orange.—Grayson Currin