I have to say that I absolutely love it when an artist takes the time to design a cd layout that is not only fitting to the musical content, but is a work of art in and of itself.

Seattle's Daniel G. Harmann has done just that; his new release, the Lake Effect not only contains 10 tracks of inspired indie rock, but a beautiful, austere layout of landscape photographs and imagery. Really, stunningly beautiful pics. Don't just download this album, buy it, and not just for the insert.

Musically, Harmann creates soothing rock ballads and acoustic numbers reminiscent of Race for Titles or Statistics, that cross of 80's rock with progressive indie and singer/songwriter sound that is becoming more and more popular these days, and with good reason. Harmann should be towards the front of this movement; his style is relatively flawless, and brings to mind (especially vocally) some of my favorite acts of the early 90's, like Christie Front Drive and Boys Life, or the mellower points of Sunny Day Real Estate's earlier efforts, records that were groundbreaking at the time. Though stylistically that may not seem too positive, it is a style of music that never really got overplayed, and in fact seemed to be brushed aside during the pop-punk craze that bands like Green Day pushed to the forefront of music, leaving emo and post-punk outfits to starve while their less creative counterparts saw huge royalty checks and gigantic tours come their way.

At once enveloping and detached, the Lake Effect makes a great mellow background album, as well as what would likely be a great road trip record. It covers a lot of musical ground without stepping outside of itself, which is quite an accomplishment, and tracks such as "Nineteen Forty Five" will lull you into a calm that most bands are incapable of, only to be followed by a lilting acoustic instrumental with some perfectly placed electronic accompaniment, which is then followed by some straight out 80's style rock. A good record from beginning to end, Daniel G. Harmann is an artist that shouldn't be ignored, and hopefully won't be.

-Todd Berry