Easter Island hails from Athens, Ga. Of course. That town has been kicking out alt-rock bands of all stripes since I was a child. I suppose the base sound here is shoegazey, but there are ringing melodies that remind me of a purer time.

Easter Island Take All the Time You Think You Need (self-released)

Or, at least, an earlier one. These songs can bliss out, with a muscular undercurrent that tends to propel. The twee falsetto that wanders in and out is supported by rock-solid guitar licks (lead and rhythm), and when the proceedings stumble toward a climax, everyone is ready.

I'd say this sounds like a lot of bands I know from the 80s and 90s, and that would be true enough. But Easter Island does a fine job of incorporating its influences into a unique riff on today's popular shoegaze.

These songs and performances are too sharp and focused to be truly part of that movement. There's plenty of introspection, but only in service of action. It might take a while for these songs to properly sink in, but that marinating process is part of the pleasure. A time warp to the future.

Jon Worley