September 21, 2007 - How often does a band's sophomore release see the light of day following their third? Such is the rare case with Memphis based indie quartet Snowglobe. Lost in the shuffle of their previous record label's (Bardot) closing, the album never saw a real release. How a label could go belly up with this little slice of perfection completed is quite the cautionary tale of indie label perils. This is the kind of album that could save indie rock (not that it currently needs it), if not a record label.

Co-lead singers Tim Regan and Brad Postlewaite split the vocal duties on the album well, although neither sounds too removed from the other. Regan's easy, conversational tone is eerily similar to Counting Crows' Adam Duritz; so close, you may be running for the liner notes upon first listen. Postlewaite's mellow husky tones are no less pleasing, making the two a dynamic vocal duo. If the vocals are pleasing, the music is damn near orgasmic. Think Simon And Garfunkel being covered by The Shins, then let it blossom into a full-bodied indie pop album a la Wilco's Summerteeth. It is the kind of album that can only be described as a 'holy f*ck listening experience', full of some of the best indie pop in the last decade. It is the kind of album where you refuse to skip even the brief instrumental vignettes between songs, as even they contain magic.

The shallow galloping riffs that open "Master Of Forgotten Works" will make any Guitar Hero-playing gamer's hands hurt just listening to it. Full of bellowing horns and ragged piano, the tune roars through the speakers for two minutes, then breezes gracefully into the loose, carefree "Aimless Sailor". The song is so mellow cool that when it shifts gears into a more driven melody, it takes your breath away. Infinitely catchy, the piano and handclap bop of "Changes" is a steadily moving waltz that takes your ears for a spin. The entire album seems to seamlessly ebb and flow from one song to the next, like a flowing indie rock opera. Regan's matter-of-fact vocals on the chunky riffed "Loaded Gun" strike the perfect balance with the swelling keys and horns. Though mostly a dreamy, mellow affair, Snowglobe does rock out on feedback and electro-laden "Rock Song" and driving toe-tapper "Regime".

Anti-establishment jingle "Big Machine" serves as a fine ode to the destructive, hardening effects the working week has on people. Postlewaite's under two-minutes ditty shuffles along gleefully, as he warns, "I landed deep inside its gut / Where all the children die into adults". The band seems obsessed with aging and the circle of life on the album. Lyrics seem focused on life and death throughout, as on the horn and string jubilee "Ms. June", where the floating vocals proclaim, "I get lost in a dream / Yeah, I dream to forget I'm dying". The slightly off-key melodic vocals and jangling acoustic open "Baby" with, "I was a second of the passing time / A revolution of the cycling life / A wonder at the peak of its prime". Eventually it drifts into a shaking bells, mellow horns, ragged piano, and haunting slide guitar country-edged mid-tempo ballad about children holding the future.

The fact that the brilliant Doing The Distance has been buried in a defunct label's basement for three years should be a punishable offense. Snowglobe's sophomore album is an indie pop masterpiece that enters your head at first listen, kicks up its heels, and refuses to leave. Not that you will mind.

Definitely Download:
1. "Loaded Gun"
2. "Rock Song"
3. "Regime"
4. "Changes"
5. "Master Of Forgotten Works"
6. "Aimless Sailor"
7. "Baby"