The Czars could be considered an indie band from Denver.
The group is still hovering underneath the mainstream radar, playing for the college crowd and other like-minded spirits of the music scene.
They also could be considered one of the Radiohead-esque bands that critics love to tell us about.
Venturing into the same sort of realm as Coldplay and Starsailor, The Czars take a part-art, part-pop approach to music.
In doing so, they producing some of the best psychedelia since the late seventies and melding some of the greatest psychedelic pop tunes since Radiohead's The Bends.
Just like The Bends, The Czars' The Ugly People Vs. The Beautiful People opens with a subtly great track that starts slow and builds the tone for the rest of the album.
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On "Drug," John Grant, who handles vocals for the band, mumbles in his best, love-struck whisper, "this isn't ecstasy/ but it's better than cocaine."
It is apparent though, that he isn't really singing about drugs, but the connotations that go along in our modern consciousness with the idea of drugs.
Love is a prevalent theme on this album, as it seems that most of the songs are directly inspired by one on more lost loves.
The whole album seems ripe with ideas - a concept album about concepts essentially.
The titles alone take the listener for a ride, ranging from the aforementioned "Drug" to "Killjoy" a song resonating with 'radio-friendly' all through it.
Still, "Killjoy" has thoughtful lyrics like, "just one vice is all any man needs to keep him happy/ my advice?/ why not take two or three/ if you're feeling lucky," lurking beneath the poppy exterior.
This insightful lyricism continues all the way to "Black and Blue."
On that song, Grant's voice soars to majestic levels similar to legendary vocalists like Tim Buckley - for whom The Czars actually recorded a track on a tribute album - and Bob Dylan.
Though the vocals are a huge draw for the band, it's almost impossible to overlook the incredible work of guitarist Andy Monley.
His guitar manages to actually sound like more than just a guitar and closer to a full string section.
Monley lets the material present itself in the best possible fashion, cutting his notes just short enough or letting them ring though the entire verse.
Overall an enjoyable experience, The Czars' The Ugly People Vs. The Beautiful People is one of the truly great works to be released that didn't get over-killed on the radio.
It also didn't have too many people who really don't know that much about the band buying it just because some reviewer proclaimed them the "next Radiohead."
What the band achieves by being slightly under the pop music radar, is the freedom to explore different musical avenues and tremendous variety.
The Czars will be performing at the Moonlight Lounge on Aug. 31.
