*** One of Us

SKY CLAD

(Eye Music)

Local dark-music sorcerers One of Us debut with a CD that marries percussive tribal pyrotechnics, gothic atmospheres, and rock energy. Many dark-wave bands shroud themselves in black and compose predictable minor-key anthems; this talented sextet explore a more personal and cryptic musical realm (black lipstick and eyeliner not required), as on "Close Concrete Dream," a Middle Eastern-inflected work defined by its clockwork percussives, serpentine bass work, airy keyboards, and sinuous guitar melodies. The band's three percussionists (including singer/frontman John Eye) conjure intense, interlocking tribal rhythms while guitarist Christian Gilbert plays everything from neo-classical to Middle Eastern melodies. And Eye's cryptic lyrics unfold with dreamlike logic. The result resonates with raw emotion and unbridled romanticism.

-- Bryan Reesman

(One of Us play a CD-release party at Axis this Saturday, November 9.)