Gravenhurst

Swinging between the poles of acoustic melancholy and searing rock, Gravenhurst's 2007 album The Western Lands feels a little like a one-band rendition of a Sofia Coppola soundtrack. There's a Nick Drake-like number ("Saints"), a My Bloody Valentine blast ("Hollow Men"), a plug for L.A. Chicano rockers (and Repo Man soundtrackers) the Plugz ("The Western Lands"), JAMC-meets-M83 fuzz-out bliss-out ("Farewell, Farewell") and a little bit of the Smiths and Sarah Records. What saves it from being like a Now That's What I Call Indie! comp is the wide-eyed earnestness of it all.