The Life and Times w/ Sleepcomesdown and Disguised as Birds

Allen Epley spent the better part of a decade on the road with his clench-jawed Kansas City indie-rock band Shiner, a project that mellowed considerably over its run as it evolved to explore moodier, more atmospheric sounds on its records. Epley picked up where that group left off when it disbanded in 2003 with his current trio The Life and Times, which drank deeply from the shoegaze well on its 2005 debut, <I>Suburban Hymns</i>. The group's recent releases, including this year's <i>No One Loves You Like I Do</i>, have been even showier, loaded with grand choruses and big, beaming modern-rock guitars.