Lansing-Dreiden

New York City-based Lansing-Dreiden produces videos and art projects as well as music, but eschews interviews and live performance. Exactly how many members there are and what they play is unknown, the same ploy The Residents once used to force people to focus on the music, rather than the musicians making it. If the music were as mysterious and inscrutable as Lansing-Dreiden's presentation, the fuss might be worth it, but the album's big, wide-open prog rock is fairly accessible for a group with such an arty stance. The breathy harmonies, cryptic lyrics and dreamy aura bring to mind a cross between the Moody Blues and The Association, with a touch of New Wave percussion in the manner of New Order or Heaven 17. Despite treading dangerously close to New Age noodling at times, the music remains lush and hypnotic, multilayered enough to hold up under repeated listening.