The welsh-band boomlet is often compared to the Brit-pop scene because of their shared Beatles influence, but unlike their English counterparts, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci owe more to the Fab Four's psychedelic excursions than to their pop songcraft. Gorky's reverence for the past doesn't stop there: Their second U.S. release, Barafundle, is also filled with heart-tugging melodies (often sung in Welsh) that evoke Brian Wilson's, psychedelic flourishes worthy of Pink Floyd and, unfortunately, aimléss instrumentals and ridiculous song titles ("Starmoonsun," "The Wizard and the Lizard") that could have come from a Yes album. At Gorky's best – on songs like "Diamond Dew" and "Dark Night" – the band uses unusual instrumentation to make genuinely catchy tunes into accessible epics. Elsewhere, Gorky's prog-rock excesses overwhelm their otherwise-appealing ditties. (RS 772)

ROBERT LEVINE