It doesn't happen often, but every once in awhile you get to see a band perform that manages to blow your expectations out of the water. It's an even rarer occurrence when that band has an independently released album that keeps your attention for days, weeks, even months, after you first put it into your CD player. Beware of Averi's latest release, Direction of Motion: once it's in there, you won't be able to take it out. 

This Boston-based quintet broke into the fickle east coast music scene with a sound strangely reminiscent of Dave Matthews Band, but with a heavier pop-kick and less of a taste for jazz jams. Averi brings with them a confidence that most independent bands in a struggling scene are much too afraid to carry.  

Ambiguous titles label the ten tracks on the album. "Discovering The Truth About Oz" opens the disc with a revving guitar riff. "The Bones Underneath" follows with an aggressive horn part that explodes into a full band rock out. Clever pop hooks, flowing melodies, brave vocals and emotionally honest lyrics push the album forward through ballads, tracks you could dance to, and pure pop sensibility. "This Liminal Life" and "Waiting For A Ghost" bring the middle of the album to a climax, while "Flutter," a partial tribute to the quiet hours of a Boston morning, and "The Time It Takes To Disappear" take the disc back down to a somewhat somber but sonorous state. "Numb," perhaps the most vigorous track on the album transitions into "Home" which, unlike the month of March, comes in like a lamb but goes out like a roaring lion. It is a perfect ending for a collection of songs that cover an entire spectrum of emotion and melody.  

Direction of Motion, while having many characteristics of a major label release, is still experimental and independent. Lead singer and guitarist Chad Perrone's otherwise exceptional vocals are strained at times, there are horn parts that seem a tad out of place, and the undeniably circa 1980's beat that opens "This Liminal Life" might deter some. Regardless, the overall feel of the album is fresh and evocative. Direction of Motion is one of the strongest independent releases to come out of Boston, and arguably anywhere else. If Averi continues to develop in this Direction, they are well on their way to success.