The Moon Is Down

This one kind of sneaks up on you. At first, as the title track eases crunchily through its first minute, you say to yourself, "Oh, great, another emo band that has lots of deep feelings but can't be bothered to write a tune or impose any kind of structure on its songs." Then the chorus hits. Well, technically it's not really a chorus, because this band doesn't impose much in the way of structure on its songs, but it sure feels like a chorus. Cathartic, tuneful, soaring -- what are they going to do for the rest of the album? Well, it turns out they're going to do the same thing, over and over, with occasional digressions into triple meter. But although the conceit remains pretty much the same, it doesn't ever get tiresome; this band's ability to combine relatively dense guitar rock with an edge of experimentalism and a deep undertow of emotional uplift is more than just impressive -- it's practically inspiring. Highlights include the title track, "Snowbirds and Townies," and the absolutely gorgeous "Just Until Sundown." Highly recommended.