Wolf Alice
mastered the glossy and grungy sides of alt-rock on
My Love Is Cool
, with songs like "Bros" and "Moaning Lisa Smile" earning them accolades that included a Grammy nomination. On
Visions of a Life
, they explore the wider -- and sometimes wilder -- facets of their music. To that end, they recruited producer
Justin Meldal-Johnsen
, who toured with the famously chameleonic
Beck
as his musical director and bassist, and also produced albums for acts as disparate as
M83
,
Paramore
, and
the Raveonettes
. With his help,
both narrow and widen their focus, isolating their bratty, fizzy guitar-pop on "Yuk Foo," "Space & Time," and "Beautifully Unconventional," and delving into the trippier side of their music on "Formidable Cool," "Sadboy," and the title track, which flirts with prog and metal in its ambitious sweep. While these songs reaffirm that
can pull off almost any style of music,
's most convincing moments build on
's forays into dream pop. Inspired by a late friend of the band, the aptly named opener "Heavenward" is so gorgeous that it's tempting to want
to concentrate on this side of their music in the future. Similarly, "Planet Hunter" and "St. Purple & Green" are potent reminders of just how well the band does huge moments, while
Ellie Roswell
's whispers bring intimacy to love's euphoric beginnings on "Don't Delete the Kisses" and its rocky end on "Sky Musings." A reflection of a young band trying out all its possibilities,
is more scattered than
, but its best songs hint at even more potential. [
was also released on LP.] ~ Heather Phares