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Scotland's Aereogramme has accomplished the rare feat of being equally respected in hard rock and indie-rock circles alike with their combination of loud aggression, melody, and atmospherics. This 6-song release is all over that terrain, from the blistering buried-needle pop of opening track "Inkwell" to the symphonic sprawl and orchestral swell of the 11-minute "The Unravelling." "Dreams and Bridges" alternates between spooky ambience and brutal riffs, while the ballad "I Don't Need Your Love" twinkles tenderly. Through it all the melodic vocals of singer Craig B. have a surprisingly delicate, vulnerable quality, apart from a few scary screams on "The Unravelling." A faithful cover of the Flaming Lips' "Lightning Strikes the Postman" brings back the heavy pop riffs and features some crazy guitar solo action. With the movie projector sounds that open and close "The Unravelling" and the closing instrumental track "Alternate Score," which sounds like the soundtrack to an arty horror film, it almost seems as though Aereogramme is angling for some actual soundtrack work, or at least daring critics to review this disc without using the word "cinematic." The band is ranging all over the map on this release, but doing it all with equal commitment and achieving uniformly high quality. (mike.06.06)
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