Tom Vek

In 2005, Tom Vek was amongst a group of young Brits (Bloc Party, the Futureheads, Maximo Park) to emerge from a very nourishing musical scene. His debut album, We Have Sound, was critically adored and earned him a strong cult following, not to mention an appearance on The O.C. And then he vanished. For six years. But now the London, UK-based one-man band is back with his sophomore album, almost as if he never left. Aside from some heavily beefed-up drums, Leisure Seizure doesn't show much evidence that he's spent the last half-decade tweaking his songwriting formula. His array of instruments and gadgetry still produce a series of splendid surprises for the ear, while his gift for deadpan hooks has never been stronger. "Aroused" lives up to its name, with booming production and wacky found sounds, "Someone Loves You" bustles and flutters with anthemic status, and the frantic rhythmic shifts and distorted synths in "A.P.O.L.O.G.Y." make spelling out the chorus fun, even with such a dour tone. On album opener "Hold Your Hand," Vek explains that "I'm a lost cowboy/waiting for the truth" over a skittering jazz beat and twitching synths. If there's any truths revealed on Leisure Seizure it's that Vek's absence has been our loss. Let's hope he doesn't get lost again.