It seems appropriate to open a review about Hopewell's third and latest recording, The Curved Glass, with a quote from Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. Coyne once wrote: "How torturous this soundlessness would be, a hundred or so years ago, when music and the noises that surround us today-- like even just the whir of the refrigerator-- could give no shelter from the dead silences that easily provoke anxiety in someone with a troubled mind... not to have the slightest distraction from your worries could prove to be unbearable."

There are two reasons why this quotation is apropos. One is that Hopewell seem to base their entire dreamy, hypnotic, space-rock sound on Coyne's musings. There are barely any moments of silence on The Curved Glass; most silence is engulfed by subtle rumbling or serene, reverberating drones. And when there is pure quiet, it acts as a breather after which the forthcoming music serves as a release from the anxiety that "soundlessness" creates.

Another reason, perhaps not so esoteric, is that the voice of singer and guitarist Jason Russo sounds exactly like Coyne. I'm not kidding. There is absolutely no difference whatsoever. And it helps my case that the some of the melodies could have been lifted straight off of Transmissions from the Satellite Heart. If I were listening to "The Angel is My Watermark," the opening track on The Curved Glass, not knowing better of Hopewell's sound, I would assume it was a Lips b-side from '97.

I am adamant about this. Can't you tell? I can't say how intentional it is; Hopewell's Jason Russo and his keyboardist brother Justin come from Mercury Rev, and Dave Fridmann seems to easily rub his scent off on people, as well as the scents of those with whom he's worked. Regardless, though, it's time to forgive the guys. Why? Because they're good, and they do their shoegazer space-rock well.

The Curved Glass starts with the record's two best tracks. "In the Small Places" features multiple simple and effective melodies combined with the excellent dreamy, rhythmic production style that most of the rest of the record maintains. But once you've gotten past the Flaming Lips larceny, the aforementioned opener, "The Angel is My Watermark," proves itself to stronger in many ways. Vocals and heavily treated guitars of all kinds blend together seamlessly as your pulse attempts to match rhythms with drummer Dalia Garih's powerful tribal beat.

"Christmas Now" is the only definite low point, with the record's closest thing to a production blunder-- the cheesiest of synthesized violin leads-- and an ultimately unremarkable melody. This minor fumble triggers multiple tracks that drift by nearly unnoticeably. Sure, the album maintains a cohesive level of quality, but it never again quite matches the enjoyment of its opening tracks. Still, Hopewell successfully complete their musical goal, still seemingly inspired by the words so eloquently put by Wayne Coyne, so that when The Curved Glass ends, the silence seems a bit overbearing after all, and one might imagine that a replay could cure that nicely. -Spencer Owen