Rocinate Redux

I previously mentioned that Ester Drang had put the finishing touches on their new album Rocinate. Well, the band’s website is reporting that Rocinate will be released on January 24, 2006 on Jade Tree.

The band’s website will be undergoing a redesign in conjunction with the new album, so in the meantime, the Drang has taken the MySpace plunge. So for the latest news on the Drang front, such as their upcoming European tour with Rosie Thomas, just click here.

And if you do, you’ll be treated to the occasional preview from the new album. “Come Back Alive” (the current track) is quite an eye-opener. While it still features plenty of frontman Bryce Chamber’s crooning vocals and ethereal guitar lines, the song throws in a couple of surprises. For starters, it’s easily one of the heaviest grooves the band has rewarded, thanks to a stomping backbeat and a rubbery bassline. The strings and horns are nice, soulful touch. And what’s with the Blinker The Star-esque piano line that suddenly pops up at the halfway point?

All told, it’s a definite progression beyond the Radiohead-meets-Spiritualized dreampop that the band has recorded in the past.