Atlantic/Pacific

For all my posturing as a purveyor of all that is righteous, honest, legit and badass in music, I’ll be damned if listening to Atlantic/Pacific doesn’t make me wibble on the inside just a little bit. Barely. Ever so slightly. Like, every time. I can’t help it. Garrett Klahn is relly friggin’ good at what he does. The dude’s a seasoned rock vet, with authenticity for days. Even if this endeavor is slightly on the more mellow and melodic side than his previous ones, the signature intensity remains. Oddly just as cinematic as all the other bands chosen this week, because there always seems to be some unifier, Atlantic/Pacific is the arthouse drama set far outside of conventional civilization (because where else do you do serious soul searching but in the wilderness?) that ends up being a dark horse Oscar contender. Likewise, though they may not be the big, Michael Bay-explosion-heavy summer blockbuster, Klahn and other half John Herguth will win your respect and might even get you to do a little thinking by the time their set is done. - Brien Overly