…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, The Century of Self

Prog without the pomposity, emo without the pity pleas, the sixth album from Austin quartet …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead stands as both a statement of independence after a stint with major Interscope Records and the result of hard-earned maturity. It's a record full of grand quests, appeals to God (and gods) and raging Texas torrents, all of them carried away on swelling, keyboard-heavy crescendos. Having tempered its early rep for musical mayhem, the group has managed to channel their considerable talents into music that hits Who-like peaks one moment and releases Sonic Youthian power-washes the next. The Century of Self's instrumental intro, "Giants Causeway," manages to do both at once — a pretty neat trick — before giving way to a bit of Yes-like pomp.

Founders and core members Jason Reece, Conrad Keely and Kevin Allen layer the guitars and drums, but it's the keyboards — supplemental player Clay Morris handling most of those duties — that give the music its character and color. On "Bells of Creation," the piano and power chords echo "Baba O'Reilly." There are also some nicely subdued passages — the somber, sentimental "Luna Park" extends the album's emotional and sonic range, while the piano ballads "Insatiable One" and "Insatiable Two" frame a closing four-part sequence in classic quasi-concept album form.

And yet for all its qualities and coherence, there's still a sense that there's something missing — perhaps fitting for a band with an ellipsis in its name. But even if Reece and Keely, with their emo-ish nasality, can't quite sell a tune the way a great rock singer would, the best moments of Century suggest that … Trail of Dead might have a Quadrophenia in them yet.