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Written by Bryan A. Hollerbach Tuesday, 25 April 2006 05:20

From Driveways’ Lost View, as suggested, should cement Magnolia Summer’s reputation as a band of thrilling contrasts, willing to embrace in equal measure full-tilt-boogie rock ’n’ roll and a reflectiveness too often alien to the genre even today.

At the risk of giving them the critical kiss of death, Magnolia Summer handles musical reverie with as much skill as they do musical revelry, as illustrated in style by From Driveways’ Lost View, the St. Louis quintet’s new CD.

That 11-track Undertow Music release succeeds Levers and Pulleys, their lauded debut from three years ago, and features lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Chris Grabau, guitarist John Horton, and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Mark Ray, as did the earlier disc, joined now by bassist/vocalist Greg Lamb and drummer Aaron Zeveski.

From Driveways’ Lost View, as suggested, should cement Magnolia Summer’s reputation as a band of thrilling contrasts, willing to embrace in equal measure full-tilt-boogie rock ’n’ roll and a reflectiveness too often alien to the genre even today. In that regard, the disc’s first and last tracks seem emblematic; it opens with “Along for the Ride,” a rock amalgam of vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation powerful enough to prompt shivers—it’s likely a showstopper live—and closes with “Palindrome,” a down-tempo number whose very title will doubtless furrow the brows (if only momentarily) of dedicated headbangers.

Between them, Grabau, the band’s songwriter, exhibits a deliciously idiosyncratic eye for detail, especially on “Director,” a sly indictment of today’s corporate labyrinth, and “Words for the War.” Otherwise, melodic highlights include “Sum of All Fears,” with Ray’s foreboding keyboards; “The Passing Days,” with its tight, rocking intro counterpoising Grabau’s whispery vocals; and the penultimate “Casting Satellites,” with the sonic delicacy of twilight in mid-May.

So—the verdict? The adjective magnolious, according to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, means “grand, splendid.” In that respect, it would also nicely describe Magnolia Summer’s From Driveways’ Lost View.

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