An Emerald City - Circa Scaria

New Zealand has never produced anything that sounds like this.

An Emerald City's origins date back to 2005 and now the six-piece - whose instruments stretch to violin and a Persian long-necked lute - create an exotic Eastern-influenced take on psychedelic and experimental rock.

World music doesn't get more rock'n'roll than

Circa Scaria

. You wouldn't know the album was recorded in a cave at Auckland's remote west coast beach of Whatipu in January. It sounds sharp and beautiful, even when it erupts into a squally haze of searing guitar on noisy highlight,

Mull Pasha

.

But there's a haunting otherworldly mood throughout that perhaps stems from the cavernous environment in which it was recorded.

Opener

Moon

winds up gently, rumbling and shimmering into a knot of intensity before a brilliantly messy and riotous end;

Hamlin

is the most worldy and wouldn't sound out of place at a folkfest; and on

Reindeers Running

you might as well be at an outdoor dance party in the woods.

Meanwhile, as an apt end, the 10-minutes-long

As the Storm Comes In

lives up to its name as it slowly builds before an all-in frenzied and volatile climax.

Circa Scaria

is a vast step up from last year's debut EP, where EC were still figuring out what they were doing. Just imagine where they might go in the future.

Scott Kara