All of this standout Pinellas County trio’s defining elements — the melodic sense, the poetic lyrics, the knack for incorporating odd time signatures without becoming too busy, the instrumental talent — mesh inventively and engagingly on this 10-track gem. Those Brick Streets isn’t just completely devoid of filler, it’s also a cohesive, well-thought-out program whose structure neatly turns back on itself like a sonic mobius strip. Military Junior possess the same sense for balancing proggy musicianship with pop songwriting displayed by bands from The Police to Sunny Day Real Estate, and has produced a modern-rock disc that’s catchy and challenging in equal, perfectly integrated doses. Plus, the best song a local act put out over the last year, the gorgeous “Anodyne,” is on there. www.militaryjunior.com.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2006.