Fiver

For their third album, some may still compare Modesto’s Fiver to bands like Grandaddy, Built To Spill and the Flaming Lips, because of David Moody’s helium-induced vocals and the band’s swirly psychedelic sound, but Here It Comes truly deserves better. Sure, their last album (Strings for Satellites) reeked of Grandaddy’s influence, but the band has come into their own. Here It Comes presents a much more relaxed, wide-open space, giving the band plenty of room to work. Sean Duncan’s keyboards seem more of a presence, flowing equally with the guitars, while the rhythm section kind of coasts along. It’s all very psychedelic, but in a much freer atmosphere, devoid of weird freak-outs and overextended arrangements, which can be a relief when you’ve had just too much of it. Fiver will have their day in the (warm California) sun, and hopefully this album will do it for them, because it’s good enough.