Left of the Dial	The Rosebuds: Birds Make Good Neighbors by Matt Barber

Birds Make Good Neighbors is the first Rosebuds release not to include the band’s name in its title. This year’s wonderfully lush but fleeting EP, The Rosebuds Unwind (Merge), followed the band’s debut full-length, The Rosebuds Make Out (Merge, 2003). Had they wanted to continue the trend they could have named their latest record The Rosebuds In Control, because it’s a seamlessly smooth set of breezy pop melodies by a confident, talented band that’s found its groove. The Rosebuds honor timeless pop traditions like singing without words, placing the emphasis on simple, memorable refrains, and utilizing plenty of call and response choruses. But their recycling of what’s tried and true never sounds slavish or empty. The reverb-drenched guitar on “Outnumbered” and the doo-wop feel of “Blue Bird” link The Rosebuds directly to the past, but a more recent reference point would be Cinerama. Most of Birds Make Good Neighbors continues in the sweet, dreamy direction of “Wishes For Kisses” and “Back To Boston” from their debut disc, or “Unwind” and “Is There Room?” from The Rosebuds Unwind. Absent is the jolt provided in the past by some raucous rave-ups. This time they choose subtle nuance over fast rock blasts. Singer and guitarist Ivan Howard croons beautifully over delicate beds of instrumentation, and his wife, keyboardist Kelly Crisp, makes a strong impression in her first lead vocal turn on the western-tinged “Leaves Do Fall.” Lee Waters’ drumming and Wes Phillips’ stand-up bass give The Rosebuds a more assured, cohesive band sound than ever before.