
You have all waited a long time for Eternity, and now it's here. East Lansing quintet Rosetta spent over a year recording their new LP, determined not to come out of hiding without an album that bloody sounds like they want it to sound. And so we have Eternity: Concise and awash in bright psychedelia, but scuffed up and intimate in a way that underscores Rosetta's garage and Glam rock leanings. It's chock full of straight-up rock songs and rounder, more musing numbers that further explore the band's roots in Beatles/Pink Floyd era rock. But while a wide range of colors and sounds permeate Eternity, there is a grittiness underlying it all that suggests an affinity for T-Rex and Afghan Whigs. Rosetta has been evolving during the past six years from several Lansing and Chicago-area bands, stumbling through a series of names and styles before hitting on its new mix of rock and languid grandeur. The mainstay members are Andy Leroy (guitar, vocals), Jeremy Whitwam (bass) and Jesse Draper (drums). Chris Muffett (Guitar) and Matt Adamczyk (Keyboards) were added to mix recently to fill out the band's live sound (something which should be no small feat considering the spectrum of sounds and moods that pervade Eternity.) The album is typified by the sound of "Ansurilikov," with its foundation of dreamy guitars and driving bass, Leroy's Marc Bolanesque vocal stylings and Draper's elastic drumming. The other candidates for radio play demonstrate the wide array of sounds you'll get to hear on Eternity: The buoyant, bass-driven "Wind;" swervy "Kozmonico" and the deliberate, arcing "Sarasota." First thing's first, though. "Ansurilikov" has garnered a good measure of radio play since it was released in May 2001 on Rexrode Records, and anticipation for the band's live show has been percolating on the strength of the single alone. Currently the band are holed up rehearsing their live show, with an emphasis on keeping things supple and succinct. And butt kicking, of course. With an eye on Mid-Michigan and the Midwest, Rosetta will be bringing their live mix of eerie pop and precision down on the masses for a while to come.