Dominic Angelella is a musician who has mastered the esoteric art of sounding laid-back and purposeful at once. There's an easygoing sense of groove in his melodies, but they move forward with genuine determination, and his stories know where they want to go even when the occasional esoteric detail gets in the way. Angelella is the singer and frontman with the band DRGN King, and co-founder with producer/multi-instrumentalist Ritz Reynolds, and along with their bandmates Steve Montenegro and Joe Baldacci, they've cooked up a flavorful blend of rock, pop, electronics, and dance music on their second album, 2014's Baltimore Crush. A very loose song cycle inspired by Angelella's youthful days in Baltimore, Baltimore Crush has an easy, stoned-in-the-afternoon vibe, but closer inspection reveals that these songs have solid, vital grooves (bassist Montenegro and drummer Baldacci are an unobtrusive but powerful rhythm section), and the masses of keyboards and guitars Angelella and Reynolds have laid over the top shift tone and mood in a surprising variety of ways, from the soulful pulse of "Alchemist's Lament" and the loosey-goosey funk of "Hazy Memories," to the punky bash of "Don't Trust the Sad Boys" and the proto-Sonic Youth guitar rave-up that closes "Undertow." DRGN King are smart enough to keep this stuff from getting too heavy when they rock out and keeping the groove locked down when the lighter tunes suggest they could start to drift; the bottom line is Baltimore Crush is an album that honestly feels good, with a loosely tight attitude that also makes room for just a dash of big city attitude. An offbeat winner that reveals some folks are still bringing something fresh to the long-running indie rock sweepstakes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

1		In the Future
2		St. Toms
3		Afraid of
4		Undertow
5		Alchemist's Lament
6		Don't Trust the Sad Boys
7		Hazy Memories
8		Lovers Rock
9		Fail Big
10		Solo Harp