The Catherine Wheel - Wishville - Music

The Catherine Wheel (used to it yet?) diligently migrated out of the early '90s shoe-gazing soup, dabbled in aggressive alt-rock, and have evolved into the clear-headed, tasteful band we find on Wishville.

"Sparks Are Gonna Fly" kicks things off with the fist-pumping regalia of power pop propelled by a door-busting kick drum and gritty wah-wah guitar.

"Gasoline" the open-ended kick and snare treatment allows for an empty-room reverberation, while such tracks as "Crème Caramel" and "All of That" emphasize lead singer Rob Dickinson' s whisper- in-the-ear tone.

Appeasing longtime fans, "Lifeline" and "What We Want to Believe in" nod to the (The) Catherine Wheel of yore with a wash of lushly distorted guitars.

Wishville is the band at its sparest, but it still delivers high-voltage, smart alternative rock.