Petrified Max

***Petrified Max are back with their third album in as many years, a diverse collection of twelve original tunes entitled Everything’s Beautiful Now. PMaxers Vitus Mataré (vocals, guitar, keyboards), John Rosewall (guitar, bass, vocals), and former Lou Reed sideman Danny Frankel (drums, percussion) have once again mined their varied influences ranging from garage-rock and punk, to post-punk and even jazz. Former members of L.A.’s seminal bands The Last and Trotsky Icepick, songwriters Mataré and Rosewall simultaneously draw on and transcend those roots in this new exploration of sounds. The offerings range from straight-ahead rockers like “Dry Dry Land” and the nostalgic “Starwood Nights,” to Rosewall’s moody ballads “Rise” and “Long Way Around,” alongside Mataré’s unclassifiable masterpieces “The Cup Has Run Over” and “Song for E.B.” Fans of Big Star, Guided by Voices, Television, and Yo La Tengo will find much to enjoy.