Rockville II

Rockville II is a record that, paired with the concurrently made Rockville, offers still more of FM’s soft vocal melodies, refined keyboards and measured guitar work. Rather than forcing excitement, the songs value the time in which melody stacks up naturally. It is the latter half of a pair that together forms one full creative period. On “High,” “Guilty,” “Runaway Train” and “Paradise Highway,” the choruses and band ensemble have firm vitality even within calm tempos. Songs like “Living for the Weekend” and “Last Chance Saloon” carry a comfort particular to melodic rock too. Winning through the deftness of its details and its staying power rather than flash, it is a record that keeps company like a good companion, conveying the fullness of FM.