Tides and Tales

Hurricane Bells went from being Longwave frontman Steve Schlitz's low-key side project to his main concern right about the moment "Monsters" soundtracked Robert Pattinson strutting through his opening scene in 'Twilight: New Moon'. To say this sophomore effort overflows with songs well suited for future 'Twilight' sequels isn't a dig: Schlitz has a knack for turning dark thoughts into indie-pop candy. Kicking things off with an odd, distorted squeak, Hurricane Bells luckily only dabbles in noises, instead mostly relying on quiet vocals, simple percussion, and straightforward guitar work. “Before I’m Gone” is one of the best examples of this, a song that is interesting in its simplicity, the sort of track that might unexpectedly catch your attention in the middle of a mix CD. "The Possibilities" is a warm, blippy ode to the joys of momentarily forgetting your world is falling apart; "If This Night Is Over" wraps a dying relationship in an intoxicating acoustic waltz. “Flowers In the Dirt” uses the basic formula to up the emotional ante on a break-up song. Here the vocals are laid bare over a single, soft guitar line. Vocalist Steve Schlitz stretches higher with gentle pain: “I’ve been here with her old broom/I’ve been sweeping up our old room/If the night brings a warning/Oh, I try to forget it in the morning,” he intones, the story heartbreaking in its delicate, plain-spoken nature. And almost every other song depicts the moment when love begins to curdle (or even decay) with such melody and charm that Schlitz makes it almost sound like fun. Continuing a trend that began on their debut, the album features stunning instrumental “The Hunger Moon” as a closer.

Hurricane Bells’ sophomore full-length, Tides and Tales, picks up right where 2010’s Tonight Is The Ghost left off. They’re still working the Killers-plus-encroaching-depression aesthetic over jangly guitars and quirky sound effects. While there are fewer standout tracks here than on their debut, Tide