If you’ve been hanging around Tampa long enough, you might remember the Blue Chair record store in Ybor City. It was one of the first glowing embers that signaled the historic district’s rise from the ashes in the early ‘90s. That’s when and where, at the recommendation of a friend, I caught a local band called Home performing an in-store set for a crowd of about eight people (including the store owner). Even playing to such a small crowd, the quartet squeezed blood from a stone, wringing the last drops of emotion from every note they played. They weren’t exactly virtuosos, but you could tell these guys had something.

Fourteen years later, the band released its 16th album, “Sexteen,” last week. (The initial eight were recorded on cheap Radio Shack cassettes and sold at Blue Chair or passed out after shows.) They’ve since signed to a major label, moved to Brooklyn, got dropped from the major label, hopped around from one indie to another, and—oh, yeah—released some mind-blowing music (we recommend 1999’s “XIV,” produced by Dave Fridmann).

Their sound has matured—it draws on everything from prog-rock and ambient soundscapes to psych-pop and punk—but they’re still on to ... well, something.

The thing is, Home’s music just sort of defies easy categorization. One minute you think you’ve finally put your finger on what they’re trying to do; the next, you’re using it to scratch your head.

Anyway, Home’s returning (trimphantly, of course) to Tampa next weekend to play WMNF‘s Tropical Heatwave. If I hadn’t stupidly made plans to be out of town that weekend, I’d be in the front row for their set. As is, I’ll have to find consolation in the 19 tracks of “Sexteen,” which, true to the Home tradition of ambition, is a concept album. Not just a concept album, but a concept album about sex. Hmmm.

Here’s a sample track, “Bubble,” a minimalist bit of art-damaged guitar-pop that features guitarist-singer Andrew Deutsch making what sounds like a real (albeit presumably staged) phone-sex call. OK, so maybe when I said their sound had “matured,” I could’ve chosen my words a little better.

A track by Home, courtesy of Jagjaguwar Records:

Home: “Bubble” from “Sexteen” [mp3]