Inverness

From its gentle start, as the strings, easy pace, and the polite growl of feedback on "Control Panel" backs Edward Burch's softly contemplative singing, the barely half-hour long Inverness aims to rock politely. No bad thing per se, but no rare thing either, as Foma's work is that of a band that aims not to reinvent but embrace a particular aesthetic within a comfortably larger framework and see what happens. The idea of whatever indie rock is in 2009 seems to fragment and reassemble on a general basis, so on that front, Foma's understated twists on various song structures throughout Inverness only seem appropriate — consider the way "J.M. Sebastian" only introduces vocals towards the end, and in a fashion that leaves the listener unsure whether lines are supposed to be verses, choruses, or neither. In contrast, there's the more formal organization of "Hannah, It's Finished!," a big and building crescendo of a song that openly aims at the world of acts like the Arcade Fire and Mogwai, and "Papillon," the album's strongest track, starts with a brief vocal sample and some strings before slowly and steadily turning into a tight, dramatic arrangement that ends on a strong emotional note lyrically, showcasing Foma's work at its most immediate.