Rabbit Is a Sphere

This followup to Rabbit Is a Sphere’s fantastic debut, Laps in the Sleep Salon, is a shorter and decidedly more moody offering. “Dispatch” opens the disc with a fragmenting, luminous fog that evolves into an electrifying rocker, bursting the poetic angst of its lyrics with sheer urgency; it ends with the hushed, impressionistic dreaminess of “Hell Has a Heart,” an introspective acceptance that life doesn’t always offer pat resolutions to our personal dramas. “Nickels, Hymnals, Stained Napkins” manages to make a strong social statement without being heavy-handed, while “Sailor’s Knot” sounds like “Spirit in the Sky” gone menacing and completely unraveled — proving once again that bands can be both eclectic and engagingly consistent.