Romantica

You've got to credit Dean Wareham--he knows what he does best. On Luna's sixth studio album, the former Galaxie 500 singer-songwriter continues to mine inspiration from the same triumvirate of moody guitar bands he has always coveted: Television, the Velvet Underground, and the Soft Machine. But it's hard to complain when the results are as engaging and euphoric as Romantica. Buoyed by chiming chords, sweeping melodies, and that distinctive soft-focus voice, songs like "Black Champagne" and "Rememories" are among some of his finest compositions to date. On the latter, Wareham sings, "It's been a long long long..." But with him, the journey has rarely been dull. --Aidin Vaziri