Lucid 3: Dawn Planes (EMI)

You will doubtless soon hear and read about this elsewhere, but this Elsewhere likes to alert you early to a good thing -- and this third album by the Auckland-based trio is definitely a good thing.

Lucid 3 have steered an interesting course between indie-rock and mainstream acceptance: their 2002 debut Running Down the keys did well largely due to word of mouth and student radio play, and went on to sell in excess of 3500; their second album All Moments Leading To This went to #2 on the national Independent Music Chart and Heat-seekers chart, and the single AM Radio won Best Indie Video at the fourth annual Juice TV Awards. It was voted #1 single by Rip It Up readers in their annual poll.

Now comes the so-called difficult third album.

But it sure doesn't sound like a struggle: with strong songs which weave between woozy and slightly off-kilter ballads and some grit-rock, and Victoria Girling-Butcher's strong vocals this sounds like a band so utterly confident in its abilities that it won't even mind if you say, "Supertramp keyboards!" as the first few bars of the title track kick in.

Neatly produced by David Long (Fur Patrol, Dave Dobbyn), it also contains just enough musical embellishment to keep interest high and to withstand repeat plays.

Local pop-rock is in good hands.