Mastodon

While it may not be easy to figure out what the members of Mastodon are talking about -- tsarist Russia, Rasputin, astral travel, wormholes and Stephen Hawking are tied together -- the important thing is to be open to the ideas they are exploring in Crack the Skye. It doesn't hurt that opener "Oblivion" is descended directly from Pink Floyd's Animals and that half the time you think you're listening to Blue Oyster Cult. The genuinely far-out groove-jam "The Last Baron" brings everything together with an effortlessness only Mastodon can offer.