What do you get when you mix Jamiroquai, The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree, and Led Zeppelin? You get several gigabytes of space in my music library for one, but more importantly you get Closure In Moscow’s sophomore album, Pink Lemonade.

The problem, if it’s fair to call it that, with a lot of progressive and avante-garde music is that commitment to experimentation rather than groove results in a kind of wearisome sonic masturbation: Yes, you’re very bright and talented, but where’s the song?

Not so with Australia’s Closure In Moscow. Drummer Salvatore Aidone has a deep, funky pocket, and is well-accompanied by the tasteful bass lines of Duncan Millar. Check out how Aidone stays behind the beat in “Dinosaur Boss Battle,” for example, creating an aural sense of anticipation that drives the listener forward:

Comparisons between vocalist Christopher de Cinque and the great Cedric Bixler Zavala are inevitable and valid, though a bit superficial. At The Drive In and The Mars Volta exert an influence on millennial prog rock perhaps best likened to Dylan’s impact on folk rock. In other words, there’s always going to be a Zavala influence when discussing a young prog band, but de Cinque’s voice is clearly his own. He possesses a crystal clear instrument with a range capable of banshee howls and Buckley-esque elegance:

What I really dig about Pink Lemonade is that unlike so many albums in the genre it isn’t relentlessly one thing. The album is challenging, but at the same time Closure In Moscow isn’t afraid to funk it up for the dance floor:

So where can you pick this one up? Anywhere and everywhere, and I highly recommend that you do.

You can also follow the band, get tour dates, and check out some really great psychedelic artwork on their website,or follow them on Facebook.