*** Moviola

THE DURABLE DREAM

(Spirit of Orr)

The increasingly barren indie-rock landscape would be downright deserted without bands like Moviola, the Columbus quartet who by last year had produced three shimmering, low-fi albums amid a flurry of seven-inches and compilation tracks. On their fourth full-length, this sturdy band ratchet up the sound quality and streamline their playing without detracting from its modest charms. All four members sing, and each displays a cool intellectual wit that, coupled with the lolling melodic songs, makes Moviola sound like a Midwestern Luna.

In "Crowding the Sky," a rhythm seems to pick up steam as guitars cascade in and out of the three vague yet nicely worded verses; like many of these songs, it has no chorus. Jake Housh, who's the de facto lead vocalist, sings with a restrained snarl that lends itself well to held notes, as in the woozy and sort-of-sad "It Only Rains on Saturday" and the folk-rock frolic "There's a Hole in the Aviary." Without veering too far off course, Moviola dip their toes into country, pedal steel, and all in the romantic "Call My Work" and add a bit of artsiness with tape loops that pop up unobtrusively. The Durable Dream lacks any overt single or catchy rave-ups, but it's an uncommonly cohesive, winning collection from a band who operate on their own unassuming terms.

-- Richard Martin