The first thirty seconds of “To Everybody” are so unique, so compelling, so utterly amazing that pressing the stop button on the CD player is impossible; the howling vocals and gunshot kick-and-snare drum attack represent a drastic departure from the band’s previous album, 2000’s “(It(is)It) Critical Band.”

Nonetheless, this unexpected evolution is a step in the right direction: the Chicago quartet creates a soundscape so hauntingly gorgeous that to attempt to describe it in words is to do a disservice to its craft.

In short: the album is perfect.

Cayce Key’s drum work, particularly the jagged rhythms on “I’ve Got Designs on You” and “A National Car Crash” attack the ears with just the right amount of subtlety. Bassist Robert Lowe adds a perfect compliment of jazz fretboard acrobatics, and Brian Case’s rhythmic guitar textures hypnotize the listener into submission.

All of these elements, however, are bound together by Andy Lansangan’s moody keyboards, which create an album whose impact lingers even after its thirty-four minutes have passed.

The vocals, handled by all of the band’s members, range from the dueling chants and howls of “Designs” to the gentle melodies of “Last Night, a DJ Saved My Life.”

The lyrics, although abstract and bizarre, nonetheless contain their share of wit, particularly “DJ,” which compares the eccentricities of life and love to the workings of a record player (“Who decides the speed our lives rotate at?/How long until the belt breaks?/Now I know what you mean by `I am losing my patience'”).

The album’s definitive track is “We Blame Chicago,” an instrumental dominated by Lansangan’s dark, gloomy piano.

Key’s danceable drums and Lowe’s reliable bass provide a brilliant rhythm, while Case’s wah-wah guitar dances in and out of the song seamlessly.

The song is but one of several indicators of brilliance, proving that “To Everybody” is nothing short of a rock masterpiece.

– Darryl Moton

Boston’s instrumental trio the Cancer Conspiracy will never be on MTV. They’re never going to be on commercial radio. They’re probably never going to achieve major label attention.

What they are going to be, however, is an immensely talented band capable of sliding from gentle mood music to explosive, metal-inflected angular rock.

“The Audio Medium” is a schizophrenic journey through a musical landscape dotted with jagged drumbeats, moody atmospherics and frantic guitar work.

Each of the album’s nine tracks showcases the band’s abilities; “.to Sleep” and “The Silence of Underwater Traffic” take advantage of drummer/saxophonist/keyboardist Greg Beadle’s subtle piano work, while “Conversation With a Wall” allows guitarist Daryl Rabidoux to show off his fancy metal-influenced chops with healthy doses of distortion and feedback. “Loft Complication” features bassist Greg Beadle and Brent Frattini dueling over Rabidoux’s guitar rhythm work.

Unfortunately, it is within the talents of its members where the band (and album) finds its faults. The instrumentals, while musically amazing, may prove too eclectic and multi-faceted to be completely accessible; in short, the band may be too talented for its own good.

The album still makes for an excellent listen, but could strike more particular listeners as too ambitious.

– Darryl Moton

After a label change and a shuffle of the lineup, Local H is back and as copacetic as ever.

It’s been nearly four years since this dynamic duo released “Pack Up the Cats,” a critical success but commercial failure due to a lack of label support.

Local H came on the scene near the end of the grunge era in 1995 and has continued to make music that dips into a variety of music styles such as pop, grunge and punk, but has slipped through the cracks as one of the few true rock n’ roll bands still standing.

Quiet yet animated drummer Joe Daniels has since left the band and was replaced by Triple Fast Action drummer Brian St. Clair.

Much like Daniels did, St. Clair counters frontman/guitarist/bassist Scott Lucas’ powerful sound with a driving force of his own, making “Here Comes the Zoo” an impressive rock record.

The album kicks off with one of its best tracks, a down-tempo intense rock tune called “Hands on the Bible.” It is unlike anything Local H has done and it shows how Lucas has evolved as a rock musician.

Songs like “Half-life,” the first single, and “Creature Comforted” are infected with that same driving forcefulness that has made Local H’s live show so memorable.

The occasional flavor of classic rock comes through much like on “Pack Up the Cats” due to producer Jack Douglas, who has worked with the likes of Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and John Lennon.

With only ten songs, “Here Comes the Zoo” flows together like a perfect rock record should- covering an array of emotion and musical flavors.

Local H is back, all two of them, and “Here Comes the Zoo” is the perfect way to make a re-entrance.

– Kyle Moss