World of Echo alumni Stefan Christensen is back with a three-years-in-the-making long player that makes good use of his hometown's current hotbed of talent by enlisting the help of all the members from both Headroom and Mountain Movers. Unsurprisingly, the results are noticeably less sparse than on previous record, Cheap Things, and on the two longest pieces here, 'Wishes For My Well' and the title track, verge on the ecstatic. New Haven has history for preaching the virtues of rock nirvana, and Christensen and his range of bandmates frequently sound in thrall of the concept, finding their own sweet spot between the rock n roll dissonance of Les Rallizes Denudes, Parson Sound's euphoric squall and the heavenly meeting point of Sonic Youth and Neil Young (and I don't just mean Arc & Weld, but I don't not mean it either). The aforementioned title track is a particular highlight and maybe Christensen's best song to date, all Thurston Moore-style doleful lamentation and reaching for the Eternal guitar heroics that show an expert hand in tension and release. A 14 minute stretch and coda could still go on longer if it dared. Or you can just pick up the needle and reload again, as I've done repeatedly this week.
Also in from C-Site this week is the latest powerpopping Thin Lizzy spirited, Modern Lovers channelling rocker from fellow New Haven-ers, Shirese. If you're a it's 5 O'Clock somewhere kinda guy, this is your man.
