Comas

It’s very rare that a band or artist can find a formula that can appeal to mass audiences while still holding significant appeal of your average elitist or indie bedroom critic. Going the violently esoteric route is sure to win points with one camp while giving the finger to the other, as will covering Go-Gos songs with your teenage sister. But some groups manage to find a sound that can satisfy either side to some degree, being accessible enough to stick out upon first listen while keeping enough intricate extras tucked into its hooks to hold up on repeated listens. Conductor is one of these records, and spends as much time focusing on the slow, wall-of-sound pop of bands like Grandaddy, as it does the distorted attack of mid-’90s commercial rock, tying it all together with electronic production tinges. Though lyrically inconsistent and, at points, a little too close to rock/pop cliché for comfort, Conductor’s balance of good-to-great dream pop and accessible mid-tempo rock has the ability to appeal to any fans of either genre. The record also comes with a DVD, titled Conductor: The Movie, which gives a visual storyline to each of the record’s songs, and is often as compelling as the music itself.