Kevin Bronson on April 28th, 2009

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Great Northern, “Remind Me Where the Light Is” (Eenie Meenie, today) – Solon Bixler and Rachel Stolte have bad dreams and big dreams, and both are embodied on their sophomore album. Their fears are framed meticulously – though more musically than lyrically – in their shimmering arrangements and soaring melodies, and just when you think the L.A. duo might succumb to their own quavering, they come through with bold, urgent rockers like “Story,” “Houses” and “Mountain.” Stolte takes the lead vocally on this album, and there’s something stolid in her phrasing that acts as a boulder of hope amid what otherwise might be preening introspection. “Remind Me’s” epic feel owes in part to the work of producer Michael Patterson, but it’s also a case of two songwriters stretching out. Recommended.

||| Download (previously posted): “Houses” Live: Great Northern, on tour with the Dears, plays the Echoplex on May 23. Previously: Interview with Great Northern.

Some other recent local releases

Eagle and Talon, “Thracian” (self-released) – A brash excursion into the rather discomfiting regions of art-punk, “Tracian’s” slice-and-dice aesthetic amounts to little more than musical vivisection for me. Which is a shame, since there’s some potent lyrical content here.

Hecuba, “Paradise” (Manimal Vinyl) – Too minimalist to achieve its cinematic aspirations, this open-hearted potpourri of electro, orchestral and ambient pop offers some revelatory moments (especially “Extra Connection”) and guileless emotions (“The Magic”), but sags from vocals that fall short of selling what the duo’s compositions have built.

Old Californio, “Westering Again” (self-released) – The sophomore effort by this countryfied Pasadena quartet sticks to the main roads a little bit too much to offer a lot in the way of specatcular scenery, but if you’re one for alternately winsome and buoyant Americana – think Jayhawks – you’ll be happy to run across gems like “Warmth of the Sun.”