Recording information: Song Island Studio.

Long before the Arcade Fire made the world safe for touring with a harpsichord and a hurdy-gurdy, Eric Matthews was bridging the divide between baroque pop and indie rock. On his landmark 1995 debut, IT'S HEAVY IN HERE, Matthews sounded like Lou Barlow leading the Left Banke through a set of Burt Bacharach covers. THE IMAGINATION STAGE--his fifth full-length--rekindles the vitality of that release with a song cycle of resonant emotion and textured arrangements. With Matthews conceiving every chart and playing every instrument--including strings, horns, and drums--THE IMAGINATION STAGE is not your usual indie-rock vanity project but proof that Matthews has the overarching talent to match his grandiose, orchestral vision of pop.

Eric Matthews sounds rejuvenated on The Imagination Stage, only his fifth album in a dozen years but the third in relatively quick succession for the Empyrean label. But just when fans could start to worry that too much of Matthews' work was flooding the marketplace, he's broadened his palette, stretching the boundaries and beginning to work in more intriguing shades. Sometimes it's with a simple technique, as on the several instrumental passages that allow listeners to focus on the clever arrangements (and not worry about Matthews' usually similar-sounding vocals). But often it's the interwoven arrangements, harmonies, and interesting instrument choices that make The Imagination Stage such a wonderful record, encompassing everything from a tastefully bashing drum kit to an analog drum program to the type of subdued brass that has been a hallmark of Matthews' work since he debuted in 1995. ~ John Bush