Romantica
You've got to credit Dean Wareham--he knows what he does best. On Luna's sixth studio album, the formerGalaxie 500singer-songwriter continues to mine inspiration from the same triumvirate of moody guitar bands he has always coveted:Television, theVelvet Underground, and theSoft Machine. But it's hard to complain when the results are as engaging and euphoric asRomantica. Buoyed by chiming chords, sweeping melodies, and that distinctive soft-focus voice, songs like "Black Champagne" and "Rememories" are among some of his finest compositions to date. On the latter, Wareham sings, "It's been a long long long..." But with him, the journey has rarely been dull.--Aidin Vaziri