In a slightly convoluted backstory, Parker Longbough is one Matthew Witthoeft, late of the band Uncle Jesse. Whatever the rationale for the moniker, Longbough’s debut album under said name, Commander Comatose, is the kind of pleasant indie rock exercise which won’t set the world on fire per se but is an easygoing listen in the vein of so much else out there right now. It’s actually kind of odd and interesting at once to see what makes the sound these days — there’s the catch in his voice on “Think on Your Own” which, in combination with the music, makes it sound like a more rambling 1994-era Smashing Pumpkins B-side, an unexpected realization. Further moments elsewhere unsettle what could have been a straightforward enough dynamic, such as the brisk drum punch and almost shoegazed-out guitar on “Further Forward.” Perhaps the most striking song in context is “Brodawg Deal,” with its buried guitar tones, stark, crisp percussion and slightly woozy feeling all around — it’s at once familiar and different, a sign that Longbough isn’t content to simply meet expectations. A couple of the song titles are winners as well — the piano-led penultimate song is called “Songwriter Leaving, Pt. 1.” – Ned Raggett