Eyes Like the Sky

This seven-piece Aussie band’s name alone is enough to suck you in. The good thing is these guys don’t suck. Eyes Like the Sky comes hot on the heels of their 2012 debut LP, 12 Bar Bruise, a record stuffed to the gills with greasy, garage-rock gizzardry. This time around they take an Ennio Morricone approach to soundtracking a short story written and read by Broderick Smith, who fronted Australian twang-punk band the Dingoes in the ’70s. The musical backdrop sounds just as parched as Smith’s voice, evoking the sort of grainy, tumbleweed-strewn landscapes that were so good, bad and ugly. It’s an interesting move for a sophomore record. Eyes Like the Sky sticks to the familiar cowboys-and-Indians tropes—it’s fun the first couple of times through, but the music and Smith’s story wear thin after a while. Eyes Like the Sky isn’t going to fall into cult-classic status anytime soon, but it’ll make you hopeful for this band’s third installment.