Allen Roizman has recorded as Say No! to Architecture off and on for the last decade. Lately, this has been mostly off, but this new album proves that he really should be more on.

Say No! to Architecture SN!TA (self-released)

Roizman builds his songs as a series of loops and sounds, and there can definitely be a raga or drone feel to the way some of the elements repeat. Hypnotic, yes, but also propulsive. Unlike the ambient, these songs have a definite direction. There is always an arrow forward.

Which means that these songs are thrilling on the first listen and even more satisfying on the tenth. Roizman crafts his songs immaculately. Not a single piece is out of place, and every sound has a purpose.

That propulsive feeling is what keeps these pieces from sounding stilted. They're something like indie rock in an alternate universe. Familiar, and yet . . . off, somehow. It's that vaguely off-kilter feeling that really gets me.

Given the achievement here, I may revise my initial statement. I think Roizman should put out new music with abandon, but if it takes a few years to come up with something this amazing, then he should take all the time he needs. You can't rush greatness.

Jon Worley