Saying that E has quietly become one of modern guitar rock’s most interesting and distinctive groups doesn’t feel right, as there’s little volume set to “low” when the Boston trio plugs in and cranks up. But it still seems remarkably odd that the group hasn’t gotten more attention than it has. Comprised of members of forward-thinking indie rockers Come (guitarist Thalia Zedek), Karate (drummer Gavin McCarthy) and Neptune (guitarist Jason Sanford), the band refocuses the power trio through their own distinctive lens in such a way that their music sounds familiar, but could only have been created by the three of them. Thanks to twisting guitar riffs, clanging rhythms, clock-steady drum pulses and that singular open airiness that comes from a lack of bass, the half-dozen songs on Any Information, the band’s fourth release, celebrate classic rock power and subvert it with a sensibility that avoids machismo. “Breathe Again,” “Jungle Cats” and “Desire Path” rock without rawking, if you follow, and signal that E, much like the members’ bands before it, continues to push the six-string side of rock music forward without abandoning what made it appealing in the first place.
