The Silent Years, 'The Globe' (Defend)

Artfully crafted pop-rock mini-dramas that ultimately impress.

This Detroit band suffers a bit from fussy overambition, but there are worse attributes in the often staid world of guitar-based indie rock. When not tripping over literary allusions -- "I feel like the overman that Dostoyevsky wrote about" -- or throwing deliberate curveballs (the circuslike clamor of "Ropes"), frontman Josh Epstein knocks a few out of the park: The sneakily chilling "On Our Way Home" builds on strings, acoustic guitar, and a Midlake-ish mood, while "Open Up Our Eyes" visits a sunnier, Flaming Lips–inspired refuge.

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