No World For Tomorrow  (Audio CD) 
by Coheed & Cambria

Coheed and Cambria's first three outings were smart, adventurous affairs that didn't eschew accessibility and No World for Tomorrow proves no exception. From the title cut to the epic "The End Complete," No World carries an intensity informed by occasional touches of the light, such as "Feathers," which not only recalls the Van Halen classic "Dance the Night Away" in its opening measures but also gives a knowing wink to silliest and most histrionic elements of emo. ("The Hound of Blood and Rank" and "The Running Free" are two of the finest pieces C&H has thus far committed to disc.) Throughout, there are odd time signatures and multilayered sounds that will keep listeners coming back to dissect the album. As good as the pop-inflected elements on this record are, it's the closing "On the Brink" (featuring requisite nods to Pink Floyd) that steals the show and demonstrates that Coheed and Cambria's greatest attribute is that it stimulates the mind as much as the foot--a promising sign in a time when too many think too much about too little. --Jedd Beaudoin