Music: Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears: "Flight of the Knife" (2008)

This record, like Bryan Scary's previous release, is as much a work of impressive pop-rock mastery as it is a testament to the danger of not knowing when to say "that's a wrap." It is mastery insofar as all but one of its tracks (the effective if ultimately forgettable "Mama Waits") are bold and inspired exports from an intricate, precise and focused songwriting mind. But Scary's hyperactive talent gets the best of him all too frequently, as all of the songs are, to varying degrees, marked by inconsistency and a curiously short span of attention to detail.

It is, however, masterful and, as such, clearly warrants four stars. Songs like "The Zero Light," "Imitation of the Sky" and "The Curious Disappearance of the Sky-Ship Thunder-Man" tempt me to give it five. None of these are immune to Scary's sometimes irritating tendency to launch into frantic diversions that seem to do more to highlight his immensely talented band's technical abilities than to accomplish anything in service of the song (the ridiculous ending of "The Zero Light" ; the unintentionally comedic bombast of the prog-rock tinged bridge of "Imitation of the Sky"). They are, however, full of brilliance and inspiration. The measured, steady, epic development of the second verse of "The Zero Light." The frenzied but oddly adorable verse melodies in "Imitation of the Sky." The strangely sweet ending and steady, potent arrangement of "The Curious Disappearance of the Sky-Ship Thunder-Man" (I hate that title).

Many of the other tracks are equally demonstrative of incredible ability and, some more than others, Bryan Scary's maddening inconsistency. "Son of Stab" is a sequence of brilliantly conceived harmonic and textural motifs that ultimately fail to work together in service of some greater affect but, nonetheless, are incredibly fun on their own (in particular the two vocal rounds leading into a balls-out rock-out moment near the end). "Heaven on a Bird" has disarmingly personal moments and is at times nearly perfect. "The Purple Rocket" is fun as fuck. "The Fire-Tree Bird" is an amusing, perhaps accidental, homage to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

On the whole, it's as incredible an album as it is maddening. Every track is worth a listen, particularly if you can overlook or tolerate the occasional meander into uninspired, vapid, overly-scripted noodling. Bryan Scary's brilliance is in how carefully he scripts his songs. He should leave the noodling for his live shows (which are remarkable for their energy and enthusiasm) and concentrate on writing songs which show off his intricate songwriting, not how intricacy can sap the life from a jam.

Flight of the Knife on the iTunes Store: