Widowers

With a keen sense of pacing and melody, the music of Widowers has drawn easy comparisons to psychedelic-tinged pop from the '60s. But anyone who has seen Mike Marchant and company's handful of shows thus far knows that they've already moved beyond their influences and have established a sound and vision all their own. In fact, Widowers would be noteworthy for its perfect pop sensibilities alone. What truly makes the outfit interesting, though, is the artistic ambition behind the songwriting. Yes, the band has great pop songs ("Bone Collecting Ghost"), but it also has songs like "Blackout Bastard Sons" that strike at surprising depths of emotion, with the chosen tones and dynamics deftly augmenting each nuance. Many groups with chops tend to lack imagination, but Widowers, whose music drifts along in dreamy imagery as easily as it does exploring the dark side of the psyche, doesn't seem to have that problem. Hear for yourself at the hi-dive on Friday, September 7.