Bald Eagle

Too rockin' to be indie, too independent-minded to be punk, Columbia's Bald Eagle makes music that soars above the usual "we're loud, we're fast, now we're outta gas" rock & roll-isms of the post-post modern era. Playing twin-guitar rock that actually requires the two guitarists to play different (yet complementary) melodies — and sporting a bassist who's not afraid to swing the rhythm — results in songs that kick balls ("These Are Cobras, Man" drives like a besotted celebrity) and yet still make space to ask the tough questions. "If humility and passion are treason/Then tell me what we're supposed to believe in," somebody screams on "We. Have. You. Did.," before another voice responds with a strangled "Testify!" while the band carves out a tangled-up-in-hope-and-barbed-wire riff. The sublimely titled "What's All the Brew-Ha-Ha" offers truth and beauty in chiming guitars and a graceful, slowly building melody that shimmers and suddenly flares into celestial wonder. Look to the skies, and pin all your dreams on the wings of the Eagle.