Engineers

Most likely, only diehard fans cared that the Beta Band disintegrated after last year's poorly received Heroes to Zeros. But the Scottish band's legacy -- opening for Radiohead, being name-checked by John Cusack in High Fidelity and, most important, crafting hippie-dippie psychedelic dronefests -- is evident on the debut disc by Engineers. The London quartet layers hypnotic vocals, lullabylike rhythms and "see the colors, maaaan!" guitars atop gnarled, ambient landscapes informed heavily by Brian Eno and Zero 7. And like other doobie-sparking discs by bands who are obviously high on much more than life -- Spiritualized, we're looking at you -- this record is as suitable for sober Sunday mornings as for wake-and-bake weekdays. Credit the complexity of the tunes, which work as Verve-lite shoegazing pop nuggets ("Thrasher") and emotionally wrenching eulogies ("How Do You Say Goodbye?") equally well.