Mobius Band
Heaven
Misra

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A couple of years ago, the men of electronic rock trio Mobius Band moved from rural Massachusetts to band-infested Brooklyn. On their sophomore album Heaven, their transition sounds disappointingly complete, with a slicker and more generic approach that's been done better by plenty of previous bands from New York and elsewhere. Like 2005 debut The Loving Sound of Static, Mobius Band's latest is full of both big-room rock grandeur and electronic-pop simplicity. It's always dramatic and ProTools-clean, but there's not much distinctive or memorable about this blend of rock anthems and the Postal Service's laptop romance. Whether contemplating a relationship gone sour in "Leave the Key in the Door" or chastising a selfish pal on "Friends Like These," singer Ben Sterling's deadpan vocals could be exchanged for those of any number of post-Strokes rockers. This time, though, Mobius Band's songs are equally impersonal. Shimmery, upbeat lead track "Hallie" and the moodier "Tie a Tie" both reach the epiphany that, hey, sometimes "people change." On handclap-happy "Secret Language," Sterling paraphrases the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you're scared they'll do unto you." On "A Hint of Blood," he repeats, "Anything's all right." That's what it sounds like Mobius Band is hoping throughout Heaven. But Brooklyn is full of bands that are only "all right."

-- Marc Hogan