Brian Sances / Flying Colors

Jason Savio

There’s something to be said about an artist who can cover the whole emotional spectrum on one album and do it with a real sense of being genuine. Such is the case with Flying Colors, the new effort by the Cape Cod-based Brian Sances. This 12-song collection is one that will have you bouncing your head in carefree bliss before hitting you with a number that resonates on a much deeper level.

From the get-go, it’s clear that Sances wants to have some fun. How could you not with “Blue ’92,” an ode to the one-of-a-kind 1992 Buick Century Wagon? It’s an upbeat and funky jam — a key component in the DNA of Flying Colors — and features stellar guitar work from Sances, who also plays bass, keyboards and drums on many of the tracks. Sances easily switches gears more than once from electric bop to more down-home and bluesy-folk additions like “I Can Tell” and “Love You Too.” The common thread that links many of them together are dreamy, acid-tinged pop hooks. As if it wasn’t obvious that the musicianship is tight and spot-on, the two instrumental numbers, “Straight Out (The Joint)” and “Brain Freeze” feature exactly what instrumentals need to: peaks and valleys on top of a strong and consistent melody that circles you.

Sances saves the best for last, though. On “Meet Me at the Gate,” he shows his strongest songwriting, as he touches upon the loss of a beloved pet and the struggle to cope with it. “Taking photographs of where you used to be/Hoping I can catch a glimpse of your spirit but now you’re free,” he sings with a tear-jerking delivery. It’s transcendent and inspirational, and nothing beats that in a song.

For more information, follow Sances on Facebook @BrianSances.

Fischerspooner / Sir

Mike Wood

The much-hyped music video for the album’s first single, “TopBrazil,” is a steamy, erotic, man-centric collage of bodies meant to signify more than just a cozy cuddle puddle amongst buddies and bros. It’s a bold statement about blurring the lines between masculine and feminine and promoting a sex-positive society for all genders, no matter your inclinations. The duo has always pushed buttons and envelopes, and Sir, Fischerspooner’s first album in almost a decade, is as in-your-face an entry one’s bound to get. This synth-heavy album is produced by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), and you won’t likely hear its songs popping up on your Spotify mixes. The music you’ll hear is akin to the pulsating gyrations one might experience while wandering through a dark and labyrinthine barroom/playroom.

The electro-clash duo is as rebellious as ever and, thanks to Stipe, Sir is smoother and sleeker than previous Fischerspooner albums, but no less provocative. There are songs about tawdry one-night stands, alcohol-infused regrets, anonymous hook-ups and all measures of hedonism. What’s missing is depth. There are a few other songs worthy of “TopBrazil”-level attention; these include “Have Fun Tonight,” a dance ballad about exploring relationships outside your own, the R&B-esque “Togetherness” and the pulsating, throbbing single, “Everything Is Just Alright.”

Unfortunately, a few strong songs can’t make up for other entries that often feel like little more than over-synthesized filler. Fischerspooner has shown their staying power and relevance — even so many years after their last album — and that may just mean their best, most envelope-pushing, barrier-breaking music is still to come.

For more information, visit Fischerspooner.com or follow them on Twitter @Fischerspooner.

Underoath / Erase Me

Jennifer Russo

You know when there is a band you really dig and you know every song they have ever written, but then they don’t release a new album for a really long time? Thankfully, after years of hoping they would surprise me, they did. Erase Me, Underoath’s first album since 2010, was worth the wait. The album is a great balance of soft and heavy as it treks through the emotional struggles the band has faced.

The album opens with “It Has to Start Somewhere,” and it sets the pace for the remainder of the album — high energy and questioning everything that someone once stood for. I loved the catchy chorus in “Rapture”: “Take me to the darkness, hang me out to dry, tangled in your legs, in the webs of your lies, lead me to the rapture…”

“On My Teeth” has some of the best instrumental on the album — with an innovative spin on a genre that has traditionally followed a pretty precise formula. The drums seem to build throughout the song, adding a sense of urgency to see where it will go next.

The band switches it up with “No Frame,” which begins with a fuzzy distorted guitar and heads into almost a meditative psychedelic state with high harmonies and a simple beat behind the song. It is probably the least heavy song on the album, but there is something about it that pulls you in.

My favorite track on the album was “Wake Me.” Though the song’s lyrics seem to play on desperation, a closer listen hears hope within the shadow of it. This is a song that I believe really encompasses the entire album’s theme of finding a truth that is your own and waking up to the reality that we are all human, flawed, connected and responsible for our own destinies.

Underoath kicks off their tour in April, with a show in Providence on May 11. For more information, visit underoath777.com.