The April Skies, The Breathe EP / Flood

Any band that nabs their name from a band like the Jesus & Mary Chain better have the chops to back it up. The April Skies’ name naturally draws attention (and in the early ’90s, apparently got labels interested), but many of the band’s new songs hold little to capture the listener’s attention — and after an 11-year hiatus, one would think the band would be able to do more than simply rehash styles of the past twenty years (even if that’s the thing to do right now). Since the Hershey, PA, band sounds like a lot of other bands out there — and also closely resembles their hometown brethren in The Ocean Blue — a lot of the songs will resonate with some listeners.

The band continues to tour the East Coast, and their two releases since reforming — The Breathe EP and 2005’s Flood — show a talented band whose music is basically middle-of-the-road, alt-rock. But those with more discerning tastes will quickly peg the band as too middle-of-the-road, and therefore unnecessary. It’s a fine line, for sure, but there are too many ignored great bands out there for one this blah to get through.