Rabbit Is a Sphere

Yeah, I know, this CD has been out since late last year. But it's also one of those rare recordings that improves with repeated listens -- a stimulating swirl of creativity that's as intense as it is intelligent.

Of the four Spheroids, three -- guitarist/drummer Robert Rutherford, guitarist/Fender Rhodes player Natalie Winslow and drummer/guitarist Christopher Nelsen -- also sing lead. (Georgina Guidotti sticks to her bass.) This isn't an example of democracy run amok, however, since each vocalist offers unique pleasures. Rutherford delivers raw emotion on "Earthworms in the Abattoir" and several quasi-duets with Winslow, whose solo turn on "Cough and Convince" is low-key yet riveting -- and Nelsen brings a windswept feel to "Axioms." While the players' diverse sensibilities result in a wide range of tempos and tones, the album hangs together thanks to lyrics that are ambitious, imagistic and consistently gripping: poetry that earns its pretensions.

Laps passes the Rabbit test, and the test of time.