Music Reviews

Ten Silver Drops Reprise Music •••• Sound •••½

After spending 18 months touring behind their fiery '04 debut, Now Here Is Nowhere, telepathically trippy New York City trio Secret Machines have channeled their long-gestating frustrations into Ten Silver Drops. (Like Nowhere, it was downloadable two months before it hit stores.) Instead of riding the dirgy-epic swell that propelled many of Nowhere's more dramatic (and lengthy) tracks, Drops teems with catchier hooks (the explosively percussive "I Hate Pretending") and vocal harmonies (the slow-burn anthem "1,000 Seconds"). But don't worry, vamp fans: the feedback-and-effects-heavy "Daddy's in the Doldrums" is sure to satisfy your extended-jam jones.