Gravez

This Canadian combo draws on a wealth of sources for its music, mashing up rockabilly, instrumental surf, early grunge, and vintage Krautrock to create something fresh and just a tad creepy. Dispensing with the breezy grooves of its first album, the band goes for a heavier sound on Gravez, anchoring Lane Halley and Daniel Lee’s serpentine guitar lines with April Aliermo’s sinewy bass and D. Alex Meeks’ relentless, slightly crazed drums. As lead vocalist, Lee projects a manic sort of elan that invites comparisons with Pixies’ Black Francis at his most compelling. Between the skewed percolations of “Dry Range Intro” and the giddy bounce of “Scared to Smile” are tingling electronica ballads (“Ode to Subterrania”), twitchy pop ditties (“Bye Bye Land”), quivering garage rockers (“Sailor Bull”), and slinky Latin lounge numbers (“Genes”). For sheer imagination, “Wasteland” takes top honors with a fusion of sparkling guitars, rumbling rhythms, and homicidal sentiments. Taken in sum, Gravez manages to consistently dazzle even as it gleefully disturbs.