Sound: Some of the Pink Floyd-ian, prog rock spaciness found on their debut Now Here Is Nowhere (my #14 album of 2004) remains, but much of it has been replaced with a gentler, adult radio sound. Meanwhile, none of the Led Zeppelin-esque pounding pulse and riffage carried over.
Heavy Rotation track: “I Hate Pretending“
Medium Rotation track: “Daddy’s In the Doldrums“
Recommended: If you like sensitive, atmospheric rock with a lot of melody, this may suit you just fine. Those lighter elements were perfectly balanced out by a trippiness and edge on their debut, while on Ten Silver Drops they sound naked and sappy. It feels like the inoffensive, middle-of-the-road kind of move a much older band would try.
Grade: B-