After their success of their 2009 album, Why There Are Mountains, Cymbals Eat Guitars went into the studio and recorded Lenses Alien, which took all of 15 days in a studio in Brooklyn.  In comparison to one another, the two albums are like night and day.  Lenses Alien takes a mellower, darker approach than Why There Are Mountains, and feels like a more complete effort.

From the opening track, “Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name),” you can sense how tight the band plays together. Other standout tracks include the acoustic guitar-driven song “Wavelengths” and the closer “Gary Condit,”  which both feature strong melodies. The band has taken their sound and progressed in the right direction,  something that I hope to see continue in their albums to come.

(Barsuk Records, PO Box 22546 Seattle, WA. 98122)