Conduits - Conduits (2012)

Offering further proof that music isn't always geographical in nature, Omaha-based Conduits play songs lightyears away from the heartland rock one might expect from their location. These young musicians branch out into sonically enhanced textures that avoid the clichés of traditional song, anywhere. Singer Jenna Morrison performs her duty as the Beth Gibbons/Hope Sandoval figure, with her own sense of mystery and deeply echoed sentiments. Shoegaze might be the closest label for the dark, dreamy edges of the group's sound, but there's also a sense of morning light breaking through the cascades of glorious ambience. Guitarists JJ Idt and Nate Mickish pick out guitar riffs that fall to the gentler side of Joy Division, but they have a more muscular and defined sense than the sheets of distortion often found in their counterparts. "The Wonder" moves into eerie Portishead territory, while "Limbs and Leaves" and "Misery Train" carve out a unique wall of sound worth penetrating by anyone curious about shadows and lights.