Why has no one told me how great this band is? Why couldn’t I have paid attention when I saw them written up in various local news organs? Because I’m a little (lot) slow on the uptake, it would seem. Thanks to mah honeh, I’ve been listening nonstop to 2004’s Memories Fade, 2002’s The Good Night, and the brand-spanking new All Your Things Are Gone, and I have to say, WOW.

They remind me in their moodier moments of Betwixt or Turkish Delight, in their poignant-pop moments of Shivaree, and in their ferocious moments of Come, but none of those comparisons really captures how completely captivating I find their melodies, arrangements, and vocals. Memories Fade may be my current pick of the litter, but don’t be surprised when something from All Your Things Are Gone winds up on my 2006 best-of compilation.