For people of a certain age, New Zealand conjures a very specific musical note: off-kilter pop that verges on what folks today call shoegaze. The Chills had one of the most appropriate names ever. Adam Hattaway & the Haunters are one of many current Kiwi acts that insist we get our collective heads out of the 80s.

Adam Hattaway & the Haunters Rooster (self-released)

This 22-track double album (it is available on two CDs as well as digitally) borrows liberally from the pop and country of the late 60s. There are Beatles-y piano licks, soulful bounces that recall the Band and, yes, plenty of references to the Rolling Stones, Byrds (and of course, Gram Parsons), Jackson Browne and then some.

The songs share more of a feel than a sound, and when you record so many songs it's possible to meander with aplomb. The sequencing seems tailored to making a listener shift gears. I think the sonic palette for the album stays fairly constant, but the expression within that palette varies in fun and exciting ways.

New ground? Not a lot here. But these folks sure do fully inhabit their world. This album was recorded in five days, which shows just how well the band knows its stuff. A most smooth and satisfying glass. Take it neat; no ice needed.

Jon Worley