Sub Pop

Thanks to bands like Grizzly Bear and My Morning Jacket, the rock community now knows what to expect when it sees bushy beards and bushier flannel shirts, especially if the beer-swillers wearing them are from the Northwest. Long gone are the days when this signified fuzzed-out guitars and angsty lyrics, replaced instead by heartache and soaring melodies, backed by moody guitar work and a vaguely poetic sense of being. The Moondoggies, then, are fulfilling expectations. Though Tideland lacks Jim James’ incandescent vocals or harmonies like those found on Grizzly Bear’s Vekatimest, the second record from these Seattleites should fill any holes for fans of either. “We Can All Be Blessed” is full of gospel longing, while the title track’s got more of a classic-rock swell. Both (and the record’s bulk) are full of real, raw emotion, even as the band feels like part of a burgeoning scene, rather than its forbear.