The Wake

After releasing a split record and a pair of EPs in 2004, Springfield, MO troupe Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin produced their first full-length album, Broom, in 2005. The band has since signed to Polyvinyl Records, with Broom garnering a remastering and re-release for Oct. 24.

The band consists of lead singer, songwriter and guitarist John Robert, lead guitarist and songwriter Will Knauer, singer, songwriter and drummer Philip Dickey, and Jonathan James on bass guitar and drums. The quartet has crafted a fragile, melancholy pop outing in Broom. The album has up-tempo moments, but the real highlights are such tracks as “What’ll We Do,” in which Robert comments “you have to work, now, to get out of bed,” and “House Fire,” with longing assertion, “I coughed your name/I smoked all day/I slept myself sleepy/I was sleepin’ it away.”

The album is composed of a mixture of acoustic and mildly distorted electric guitars, piano, drums, and delicate, though not quite as wavering, vocal melodies akin to the likes of a less-drunk-than-usual Conor Oberst. There are a few spots on the disc where the vocals get a little more questionable than others, but never in a significantly off-putting manner. Musically, “Anna Lee,” with its alt-indie-pop vibe, is one of the highlights of the disc, and employs some interesting layering of guitar and vocal tracks to produce a full, visceral sound. The subtle rock undertones could benefit from a little more bass presence and vocal confidence, but the construction is solid. Another highlight is “Anne Elephant,” featuring a springy, up-beat honky-tonk to the piano and a funky, syncopated guitar line. The vocals approach the border between good and, well, not quite there, on this track, but they manage to stay fairly clean. Recommended for fans of such artists as Brendan Benson or Elliot Smith.