Orbit Service

Singer/guitarist Randall Frazier and his cohorts don’t fit snugly within the confines of any identifiable Denver-music pigeonhole, and that’s a good thing, since there are more than enough pigeons in there already. Instead, Orbit Service sets its own course, hitting plenty of heights along the way.

Rather than rushing to their conclusion, “Show of Hands” and most of the other tracks here use roomy arrangements, subtle effects and the ol’ soft/loud dynamic to build suspense and anticipation. This trick isn’t exactly new, and at times, it can feel overly familiar: Take “Halos,” in which Frazier bellows about walls against crashing guitars straight from, well, The Wall. Nevertheless, the strong sense of melody and melodrama exhibited by the Service men keep most of their Songs aloft long after typical tunes would have crashed to earth.

Eta Carinae, by the way, is described by Hubblesite.org as a “doomed star.” The label doesn’t fit Frazier, whose music puts off a memorable glow.