(Seattle, 01/02/08) After the critical acclaim hurled upon their debut EP Hey Celestial!, Siberian certainly had their work cut out for them in trying to assemble a full-length that lived up to high expectations.

The product is of course With Me (Sonic Boom), a diverse collection of shoegaze/post-rock, indie-pop, and alternative styles all delivered by the Seattle outfit.

Packed together within this album are instrumentals that range from the sprawling stadium-ready styles of Muse, The Hourly Radio, and U2, to the post-rock sonic landscapes of Cerulean and Explosions in the Sky.

Meanwhile, vocalist Finn Parnell’s singing reminds one of The Dears’ Murray Lightburn at times, and even Thom Yorke at others. This is a mouthful to get out on paper, and surely even more difficult to squeeze into eleven songs. Yet Siberian pulls it off, and comes out on the other side mostly unscathed.

Indeed, every track in With Me could be its own single, and you’re almost guaranteed to find a favorite track among the melodic hooks and catchy licks of “Paper Birds” and “Wolf and Crane,” which is a must for The Dears’ fans.

At times however, the full-weight of each and every song bogs down the listener, and arguably cheapens tracks like “Indoor Eyes” and “Belgian Beer and Catholic Girls,” which could be album-toppers but instead are lost amongst Siberian’s sonic density.

It’s an embarrassment of riches really, which is probably not the worst quality a band could “suffer” from—and actually is a complement of sorts. With Me is almost a sampler album in itself, providing the listener with a variety of bands Siberian could be. Siberian may pull a victory out of With Me due to the wonderful quality of their songs in the face of overshadowing pressure, but it wouldn’t hurt for the group to more finely tune the direction of further releases.

Paper Birds:

Wolf and Crane:

Indoor Eyes:

Belgian Beer and Catholic Girls:

- By Michael Schmitt for The Stonewailer

Stationed seemingly sedentary in Chicago, Michael Schmitt is currently studying journalism at Roosevelt University. He’s not hard to find, as he spends most of his day riding/waiting for the CTA. The Smashing Pumpkins reunion disappointed him greatly. In addition to The Stonewailer, Schmitt currently writes for the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye, Go2Media, Soundcheck Magazine, Pensatos, and and a few other music publications.