The Zolas

Ancient MarsLight Organ Records ***

Tom Dobrzanski and Zachary Gray form the nucleus of this Vancouver indie rock band, and if they weren't so good you'd be tempted to pin them down as die-hard Brendan Benson acolytes. Yet the quality of the material on display is such that the familiarity doesn't grate. The album kicks off with In Heaven, which basks in minor piano chords, expertly placed psychedelic guitar solos, and a lyric that includes the word "defenestrate"; another track, Knot in My Heart, hosts the kind of textured distortion that sorts out the men from the boys. Lyrically, too, there's a different mindset on show here, with primary wordsmith Gray expressing sometimes unassuming, sometimes cumbersome (but never less than interesting) ideas.thezolasmusic.com

Download:In Heaven, Knot in My Heart, Euphrates and Tigris