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Although Serene front man Ryan Beatty has been writing songs since his first year of high school, it wasn't until he attended Grove City College near Pittsburg that his musical career truly kicked into high gear.  An appearance at the annual South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, netted a surprised Beatty a deal with the well-respected Arena Rock Recordings (Superdrag, Harvey Danger) independent label.  Featuring a supergroup of sorts for a backing band-­Jesse Sprinkle of Poor Old Lu on drums, Joel Votaw of Seven Head Division on bass, Sydney Rentz of Morella's Forest on vocals and Matt Green on piano-­Beatty's debut recording under the Serene moniker was a near-unqualified critical success.

For the sophomore effort, The Oak Land EP, Beatty, Sprinkle, and bassist Eric Gust (now known as Serene UK) revisit much of the introspective emo-tinged pop/rock territory surveyed on the first album.  "Green Laurel" and "Margaret's Day of Fun," with their chiming guitars and full-bodied percussion, call to mind the swirling atmospheric pop of the Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl releases.  "Death Cabernet" and "Actress Kissed the Gun then Shot Herself," on the other hand, fall more in line with the straight-ahead modern pop/rock stylings of artists like Fountains of Wayne and the Rembrandts.  "Copperplate Light" alternates between the two styles, with bright, lilting verses dovetailing into a soaring, distortion-filled chorus.

The aching melancholy of songs like "Green Laurel" (The grays of black and white/ The distance in your eyes/ Where it's cold enough/ And the entrance hides) and the ironically titled "Margaret's Day of Fun" (We failed miserably/ Were we the enemy?) may come across as a bit cloying to some.  But even at its most despondent points, the Oak Land project is never less than eloquent and insightful.  To be sure, "Actress ..." (In the evening/ She kneels by her bed/ She's praying that her faith/ Will be rewarded mystically without the truth) shows an impressive understanding of human nature.  And the picturesque language of "Death Cabernet" (Taking my hand/ Into the church/ The wedding bells/ The scent of birch) is as evocative as it is poetic.

In fairness, Beatty's singing occasionally sails just sharp or flat of its intended mark.  Likewise, his vocals are often pushed so far back in the mix that many listeners will have trouble deciphering what he's saying without the lyrics sheet­-a particularly unfortunate situation, given the poignancy and depth of his writing.  Such objections, though, are arguably more bothersome than show-stopping.  And while the Serene collective's steadfastly indie inclinations may render its compositions a bit inscrutable at first, Beatty and his cohorts manage to strike a most engaging balance between experimentation and accessibility, making the Oak Land record a fine follow-up to the self-titled debut.

Bert Gangl  5/9/2004