All About Satellites and Spaceships was originally released in 1996. I know because I already have a copy. In fact, I had two. The original pressing came with an extra CD to pass along to a friend. I cheaply passed off the other copy to Pitchfork's main man Ryan Schreiber as a birthday present. Once again, I now have two copies of 7% Solution, as their label has reissued it. To the good folks at X-Ray, I say "Great idea!" The 7%'rs have a new album in the works, and if it's even just as good as this one, the world of dream pop will be thicker and fluffier than ever.

Texas is the reason. Not many dream poppers coming out of Texas, 'cept these guys and Transona Five. (Or, I could be wrong.) The overall mood of Satellites is early spring, replete with mud on the shoes and a wide prairie of possibilities. After a brief intro track, "Built on Sand" uncorks one of those great riffs that sounds like warm, foamy water. The band admits to stealing some of the lyrics on this cut from R.E.M., but it's there in the chords, too. Take away all the effects pedals and it's a great, lost R.E.M. song.

Oh, but there's so much more to this quartet. "The Air Bends Sunlight" is as chilly and majestic as a castle wall, circling around a few notes before blowing up. "The Road and the Common" stands out as "the ballad," and oddly so as the whole album is moor- thick. Frontguy Reese Beeman has the wistful pipes to pull it all off; this album easily recalls my favorite album of all time, Slowdive's Just For A Day. These boys obviously used that album as a reference point, yet never succumb to making a copy of it. All in all, simply a beautiful album. (Sorry, but you only get one CD per sleeve this time around.)

-Jason Josephes