Practically everything great about modern power-pop is being released on August 21 in the debut full length Telepath, a culmination of the efforts of singer/guitarist Michael Gross, percussionist Matt Glass, bassist Ben Johnson and guitarist Jimmy Kelly. Following in the vein of their two EPs Dust & Daylight and Impulse & Exports,the Salt Lake area foursome is on the verge of delivering ten new indie rock works of art that further exemplify the resonance they have successfully put out since the summer of 2008.

Kickoff track “Keep Driving” sets the tone for the album with a crisp melding of instruments built around the opening guitar riff, and implements Gross’s ability to pull at heartstrings with lyrics such as “It’s getting clear to me/ You’re just a memory/ And I’m just an afterthought.” Following that, the live-in-the-moment message of “On and On” and the subdued feeling of dissatisfaction in “Bad Idea” take the listener on a ride through a spectrum of emotions. Later, in “Real Gone,” there is a return to the bare feeling of loss and frustration from the opening track. The closing track “No Good” offers a show of effrontery and strength though, contrasting the lovelorn feeling of much of the album.

Another thing that rings true about the impending release is that chronologically it’s been done right. Two years is a perfect benchmark for the release of a first full-length for just about any band, as it allows for the establishment of how their personalities will ultimately color their art, and also for the development of the dynamic that must exist between artists to successfully collaborate on their craft. That dynamic is one of the real treasures that Gross and the Statuettes bring to the listener: they are able to take the music in a direction that is natural to all of them and still retains their individual stylings. Among a sea of power-pop groups on the scene these days, it is that ability that will keep them at the top of their genre and allow them to continue creating first-rate music that doesn’t mirror every other band. A | Jason Neubauer

RIYL: The New Pornographers, The Apples in Stereo, The Decemberists