Setting Sun, Math and Magic

Spacey, thoughtful, and — dare I say it — pretty, Setting Sun’s music is perfect for watching sunsets from a balcony while taking long drags from a licorice-flavored clove cigarette. Their sophomore release, Math and Magic, finds the band functioning at a higher level than before (the production is tighter, more fluid, and polished) and further establishes front man and guitarist Gary Levitt as a songwriter whose uncanny ability to draw his music from his scenery — be it the tropical Q-tip trees of L.A. or the frenetic pulse of New York — makes him one of the most interesting talents to emerge in the indie scene. Just listen to the sweeping balladry and throbbing crescendo of “It’s Light,” and you’ll get what I mean.