Any band that takes the time to organize two full performances of The Big Lebowski soundtrack with 15 close friends is probably pretty obsessive about its own music. I loved the band's full-length debut when I heard it three years ago, and this shorter set is just as impressive.

Geo Trio Number 2 EP (self-released)

More prog jazz and less western swing than the first album, these pieces remind me a lot of the California Guitar Trio's original work. With the emphasis on individual lines that blend into a whole, this is a much more cohesive sound. But I also think the band is taking more chances. There appear to be fewer default moments. More often, the band simply keeps searching.

In a good way, the kind that invites the listener along. Perhaps those soundtrack experiences have given these guys the confidence to tell stories without reverting to convention from time to time. Indeed, these songs aren't tethered to much but their own internal gravity. And that really works.

Geo Trio might look like a typical power trio, but the sounds they explore put them in a world of their own. It's a burbling, exciting place, one whose existence is far too short. The four exciting pieces on this set are a meal unto themselves. I like the way this band has evolved. I hope it never stops searching for new paths.

Jon Worley