The two founding members of Margot and the Nuclear So & So, Richard Edwards and Andy Fry, met in 2004 at a Midwestern pet store, each searching for a furry, feathered or finned friend. Instead, they ended up creating an eight-person folksy indie rock group that has been working its tail off to create not one but two sophomore albums. The titles, Animal! and Not Animal, hearken back to that aisle lined with hamster cages. The surprises don stop there, however, as the Indianapolis, Ind., band two albums will be released October 7 in different formats: Animal! on vinyl, and Not Animal in digital format and on CD. Margot and the Nuclear So & So wrote and recorded 17 tracks for release following 2005 The Dust of Retreat, but label Epic Records could not agree with the band on which ones should appear on the next album. The compromise is the oppositely titled pair of musical releases. Each album includes 12 tracks, with only 5 songs appearing on both albums. If two simultaneous albums is not enough So & So action for you, fear not. There also the Daytrotter EP, to be released on July 29. The EP songs were recorded in the studios of Daytrotter.com, an Illinois-based music website presenting a diverse array of musicians?live performances. On the same day the Daytrotter EP is released, Daytrotter.com will premiere two more tracks exclusively online. Besides all that, Margot and the Nuclear So & So are also going on tour. Here hoping they can tote their pets along with them.