Courtesy Saddle Creek

Credit: DKS Editors

What do you get when you cross John Frusciante’s electric riffs and Johnny Cash’s acoustic twang? You get Omaha quintet Neva Dinova.

You May Already Be Dreaming is the third album by the indie rockers, who named themselves after vocalist Jake Bellows’ grandmother, and their first on the label Saddle Creek. Nearly every song on the album is distinguishable from the others in some way. Variations in vocal style, tempo and guitar work occur between nearly every track, which is quite impressive for a 14-track album.

Heck, making a 14-track album itself is an impressive feat these days.

While only two of the tracks on Dreaming run over four minutes, each song delivers a fresh take on a different style of music. The first two tracks “Love from Below” and “Will the Ladies Send You Flowers” sound like something playing on a jukebox in a honky-tonk diner.

REAL QUICK NEVA DINOVA You May Already Be Dreaming Released by Saddle Creek Stater rating (out of five) ****

After that, the album alternates between upbeat rock and acoustic jams and Bellows’ … bellowy voice takes a turn from Merle Haggard low to Tom Petty high. The rock-ness of Dreaming reaches its height on the Thin Lizzy-esque “What You Want” and returns shortly to the soulful country sound it begins with “Funeral Home.”

Other similarities that can be heard are Neil Young, the Statler Brothers, Kind of Like Spitting, Rooney, Iron and Wine, Foo Fighters and … yeah, the list could go on forever, as Neva Dinova’s style is too various on this one to pin-point every influence.

Although the band manages to evoke deja vu of bands unlikely thought of in the same context, often in the same song, their sound remains distinguishable from their many influences and, if anything, the variation is something unique its own right.

While there are about four high-energy tracks scattered throughout it, You May Already Be Dreaming begins and ends with slower, more reflective tracks, which might make it hard to get into at first, and then hard to listen to all the way through to the end. It may not be the best choice of music to blast at a party or get your blood flowing for an extended run, but it’s perfect for that impromptu midnight drive, a soundtrack to a long work day or background music while hanging out with a few close friends.

Contact all editor Allan Lamb at [email protected].