Dntel kinda already warped minds doing this with Life Is Full of Possibilities, but Indiana's Metavari specialize in their own brand of indie-electronic that's gentle -- and somehow emotional -- enough to warrant a few rotations.

The trio's debut full-length, Be One of Us and Hear No Noise bristles with digital manipulations, skittering programmed beats and light percussion tinkering yet retains a warmth unusual for all the genial racketeering. Various sound bites make their way through some of the songs too ("Kings Die Like Other Men" and the next one -- "Shimmer Marina," "Pacific Lights," f.e.), mostly sounding like pretty old archival clips to create a fairly neat juxtaposition between more historical-based sounds and modern music technology.

I'm seeing the post-rock tag get thrown around with this band a lot, and it starts to make more sense during the album's midsection. Take a song like "The Priest, The Shore, and the Wait" and it's definitely warranted. This one's a little more organic than the others, with only traces of some electronic stuff, and while there's no stupendous climax, it's a nice, easygoing three-minute song that imagines older Death Cab covering This Will Destroy You, or maybe vice versa. That vibe definitely pervades the next track too, the album's title song which carries a bit more of a lift and arc to it. Closer "Pacific Lights" has a nice sparkle to it, as well.

Be One of Us and Hear No Noise has a few oddly same-y patches that make it sound like some sort of weird chronological discography rather than a well-rounded full-length. It's also a shade lengthy at 45 minutes, but overall, Metavari have crafted a fairly pleasing debut here.

STREAM
Shimmer Marina
Cerulean
Maedchen