Second of Spring

I’ve been a broken record on this lately, but I’ll say it again: The Australian wave has hit the U.S., the newest arrival being the five-piece psych-rock outfit Beaches (not to be confused with Canadian crew The Beaches). Maybe not totally new, the band’s 2013 Out Of Mind piqued international interest, propelled by all the music blog elites. Beaches’ third release, Second Of Spring, is a 17-track double album that sustains its energy throughout. The band has the same kind of poised and relentless psychedelic stamina of groups like New York’s A Place to Bury Strangers. On “Divers,” the guitar quivers, almost morphing into the sound of a rattlesnake, pulling the listener into a hypnotic groove. The tune “Walk Around” has the perfect balance of crunchy electric chords over a velvety bass line, and a see-sawing verse melody. It never drowns in effect as psych-rock can easily do. Instead, it just keeps expanding without stretching thin or losing its solid rock footing.