10000 (LP)

Versing have risen through Seattle's competitive rock ecosphere with nonchalant élan. They cheekily titled a previous album Nirvana, but never mind the bleach: Versing isn't emulating Sub Pop's most famous artist. Rather, these four twenty-something aesthetes are forging an exciting sound that finds a golden mean between lustrous noise and ebullient melody.

With Versing, songwriting is obviously crucial, but much of the pleasure in 10000 comes from its guitar textures. They're swarming, yet also spiky and agile. The funny thing is, songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Daniel Salas writes most of Versing's songs on his unplugged Gibson guitar. Salas cites earlier purveyors of abstract rock music, Cocteau Twins and Wire, as major inspirations.

Gently chiding the Seattle music scene's self-seriousness while acknowledging Versing's playfulness and irony, Salas says, "There's a 'let's just fuck around and see what comes out,' aspect of what we do, which I think is uncommon for Seattle bands."

Versing's freewheeling attitude has paradoxically resulted in 10000, an engrossing album that's impossible to feel ambivalent about.

Recommended if you like Sonic Youth, Pavement, Flasher, Moaning, METZ, Chastity Belt.