The Rosebuds: Loud Planes Fly Low

The Rosebuds’ new record is armed with one heck of a PR-prepared yarn. Band- and life-mates Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard suffered marital dissolution but yearned to keep their music intact, so the tension-fraught Loud Planes Fly Low was constructed against a bleak backdrop of personal tragedy. The album’s mood is one of dark ambiguity, but it’s bejeweled with reflectivity, as on “Limitless Arms,” which is lilting and airy but sorrowful. “Come Visit Me” - sadly not an “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” reference - hints at the shaky uncertainty of post-divorce friendship. Even with the ready-made back story, Loud Planes is a tough sell: The darkness threatens to overtake the light at every turn, and unless you’re a total masochist, it’s tough to wholly enjoy. Still, some of my favorite records are depressing as all hell, and if you’re of the right mood this one may just hit the spot. For your sake, though, I hope it doesn’t. (3 out of 5 stars)