At first, Orchids seems like the work of a band with a severe Cure obsession. Astral frontman Dave Han's voice sounds more than a little like Robert Smith's, and he applies it to moody, atmospheric music, creating songs that wouldn't have sounded out of place a decade or two ago. Opener "Barreling" is exactly the sort of urgent rock that Smith and company created at their best, while "In Heaven" is imbued with the Cure's distinctively wistful romanticism.

As the album progresses, though, little things seep in that make it apparent that Astral is more than just a Cure cover band, and other influences make themselves apparent. There are definitely traces of Joy Division (the band proudly trumpets this on their web site) and the Smiths sprinkled throughout Orchids, while the band's love of feedback suggests that Han has logged a few hours with My Bloody Valentine in the player.

As these undercurrents bubble along below Orchids's surface, it's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when the other influences blossom into full view. It's not until well into the disc that the breadth of Astral's ambition becomes obvious. Han's vocals ensure that the Cure remains the most obvious reference point, but the way the guitar creates and sustains a mood makes it just as easy to think of Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet. Similarly, the title track gallops along like a space-age western -- Gunsmoke as re-envisioned by Jason Pierce. On these songs, Han's bandmates' skill becomes apparent: drummer Shawn Poh propels each song forward at a vigorous clip, and Amy Rosenoff's basslines give the music a druggy, spaced-out feel.

Obviously, for music with such retro-leaning reference points, "refreshing" isn't quite the right descriptor. At the same time, it's quite appropriate. Rather than blatantly pillaging another band's style, as so many of today's trendiest groups have done, Astral assemble their sound from carefully chosen classic components. It's certainly not the freshest sounding music, but sonic diversity abounds.