Born of a long distance collaboration between singer/guitarist Dave Witham and Unearth drummer Derek Kerswill, Tangents unleash one of the better post- Radiohead rock albums in recent memory with its debut One Little Light Year. Essentially progressive pop anthems, the songs here brim over with nimble rhythms, sweeping melodies and shimmering walls of guitar. Boasting the same elasticity as Thom Yorke or Jeff Buckley, Witham sings as if channeling his strongest emotions, compressing his lines into direct communiqués instead of bombastic wails. Cuts like “(Missing) One Little Light Year,” “Static” and the stirring ballad “Nothing Left Undone” shiver with drama, but not melodrama – the duo deftly skirts overbearing silliness with the grace of an Olympic skater. Perhaps the trick is Tangents’ ability to make even a knotty heartpounder like “Blind Spots” feel intimate – Witham sounds like he’s inviting you to listen to his self-expression, rather than invading your personal space with his meltdowns. It’s difficult to make big music sound cozy, but Tangents manages it on One Little Light Year.
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