Red Stars Theory

Red Stars Theory, of the Pacific Northwest, check in with a beautiful, if sombre collection of gothic post-rock on this record. The atmosphere is established from the outset, setting a mood akin to Tim Burton’s upcoming headless haunter Sleepy Hollow, with spooky violin and ghostly guitar lines, all drenched in enough echo to make Jesus and Mary Chain seem unplugged. Sometimes their spacy sounds seem to get a little lost, like a dog that chases its tail until it gets distracted by a rattling chain in another part of this haunted house. Dawn breaks about two-thirds of the way through when Lois Maffeo makes a lovely vocal appearance on “A Sailor’s Warning,” but the reprieve is short-lived, and the band is soon back in territory mapped out by the first Stone Roses record. Red Stars Theory, who share some members with Modest Mouse, Built to Spill and 764-HERO, have managed to arrive at the same place as another dawdling band, Low, on their most recent Secret Name album, and it’s gonna be the sit-down party of the year.