Part of what’s so bloody interesting about writing about music – which in and of itself is an odd combination of dependency and artistry – is finding out what commonalities other journos find in a piece of music. Quite often, it’s a confounding annoyance bereft of genuine and thoughtful cultivation. But sometimes, a music hits that results in folks doing their jobs all proper like.

With that, though, is the fact that anything released via the weirdo, independent label Siltbreeze is going to have an immediate audience despite the quality of the release. Of course, there aren’t too many bummers that the imprint has brought out, so that’s a moot point. But more importantly, there’s a deference that every scribe grants discs from that label – the Mantles are no different.

Recorded by Greg Ashley, formerly of Oakland’s the Gris-Gris, the Mantles self titled album arrives cluttered with what folks think is a litany of influences. The amusing thing about that is the fact that the band’s main songwriter really doesn’t know, or care too much, that writers are name checking every New Zealand and Aussie rock band from the last thirty five years when trying to aptly represent his band’s sound in prose.

At times, the Byrds even get mentioned. And while everyone is more than just vaguely familiar with that ‘60s rock institution, it kinda doesn’t matter since it appears that the Mantles are another tendril of the current Bay Area rock resurgence that’s reaching out to your neck of the woods.

A seemingly endless procession of groups over the last few years have been putting together psych, ‘60s pop and garage stuff to result in something of a renaissance out there in the Bay. The Mantles don’t sit atop all of this, but not only does that not matter, the band doesn’t seem to care.

Since issuing a few singles, the wait for a full length was long enough – three years or so. But what listeners get at the end of that dry run makes it all seem worth it. Well, for the most part.

With all of the tossed off  ambience that makes The Mantles a rewarding spin “Burden” shows up as a misconstrued attempt at adding some mid-song tempo shifts. The melody still sports a bit of jangly ‘60s influence, but the inability of the band to make it back to the right place and the right time drastically affects a listener’s ability to find this a rewarding listen.

The following track, “Yesterday’s Gone,” isn’t too much better. But the album’s all front loaded with success, so the disc is granted a bit of room to revel in its lesser moments.

The second track, “What We Do Matters,” has generally been thought to be some statement of self worth. That might well be true, but hopefully it’s a broad statement and less of a personal one, ‘cause, really, that’d be kind of obnoxious. Either way, what follows quickly takes a bit of a turn – but in a good way and one that’s worth exploring.