Indie rocker Glasser rings up another winner

‘Interiors’

Glasser (True Panther)

★★★½

Cameron Mesirow’s Glasser has been one of the most interesting, attention-grabbing acts in all of indie rock, and her debut record “Ring” was one of the best of 2010 (and constant agitator of my late dog). Her new album “Interiors” drops three years later, and while it’s not as immediate, it has the power to enrapture.

The music still is weird and head tilting in spots, which made “Ring” so much fun, but “Interiors” is a bit darker and more balanced emotionally. Opener “Shape” immediately tells you things are different, and once you’re hooked, you take a murky ride through “Landscape,” with its R&B edge and Far East feel (a running theme through the record); spacey cool “Exposure”; and the jazzy, poppy title cut that feels slinky and fresh. I still prefer Glasser’s debut, but “Interiors” has grown on me with every listen.

‘From the Ages’

Earthless (Tee Pee)

★★★½

Psyched-out instrumental lunatic Earthless is back with another new platter, this one sounding like it took the tripped-out rock of the late 1960s, jettisoned it into the future, and lit it on fire.

“From the Ages” is the acclaimed trio’s first record in six years, which is probably because it had to do all that time travel, but that expedition was totally worth it when you hear these molten, blues-heavy, metallic slashers that peak on “Uluru Rock,” which swelters and burns, eventually slipping into sci-fi weirdness, and the 31-minute closing title cut, that doesn’t feel half that long, as it destroys, sludges, and mesmerizes, driving headlong into its bubbling, corrosive finish. Killer.

‘The Blow’

The Blow (Kanine)

★★★½

Portland’s electro pop minimalist The Blow hasn’t been around for a while (2006 was the last full-length; 2007 its last EP), but things haven’t changed terribly for Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. The music remains refreshingly under the radar, and if you listen closely, the words are sexually charged.

These 10 cuts won’t light up a party, but it’s a cool, relaxed listen that’ll spike your sugar levels now and again. “A Kiss” is a fun song, one that seems to balance excitement and emotional disappointment; “Like Girls” is spacey and weird, and it has its tongue in its cheek; and “I Tell Myself Everything” is funny and suggestive, with Maricich confessing, “I heard a rumor that I was amazing.” Yeah, this record’s kind of like that, which is why it’s so fun.

‘Hunters’

Hunters (Mom+Pop)

★★★½

If you’re familiar with Hunters’ EP “Hands on Fire,” you might be a little caught off guard by their debut long player. That’s because the band went from raw, barely produced songs to a sleek, great-sounding production. It’s quite an eye-opener for these two, who claw and grab the grunge rock from the 1990s.

Fans of Nirvana, Hole, and Smashing Pumpkins before the grunge wave choked us all will find a lot to love about these cuts. Derek Watson’s vocals sound both attitudinal and approachable, and Izzy Almeida delivers her lines like she’s ready to gouge out your eyes sweetly, and they make a killer pair on cuts such as grimy “Street Trash”; the post-punk crunch of “Blackheart”; and the melodic garage scuzz of “Nosebleed,” where Almeida howls, revealingly, “We’re stuck in time.” Maybe, but they make those sounds fresh and dangerous again. This band could be the next big thing.

Brian Krasman is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.