Ultra Sonic Edukators

Chicago’s Ultra Sonic Edukators are fond of grandiose arrangements, with blasting power chords running neck and neck with slightly distorted vocals and all sorts of ghostly keyboard and flanging effects. To their credit, it’s not as busy as it may look on paper—they know how to keep all the doodads under control and exercise self-restraint. As a matter of fact, their latest release is an EP (Bad Blood, on YMA), which is interesting considering they obviously have a lot more material up their sleeves.

Although the guitars have their say, Aaron “Doc” Stampfl’s keyboards continue to drone and scream even when there’s nothing else happening. On the title track, the electronics dart in and out of this otherwise Badfinger-sounding beat ballad. Still, USE resists the temptation to hearken back to 1980s synth-pop: The group delivers the word while remembering it’s supposed to be a rock band. It just let the guy at the keyboards have a lot more leeway than usual.

While the band has been described as having elements of psychedelia, we consider it more of a down-to-earth Electric Light Orchestra, if it had the same power-pop feel of ELO’s predecessors the Move. USE maintains the basic Beatlesque feel while experimenting all over the place (and toning down the prog pretensions), so with its monthlong residency at Schubas, it should be interesting to see where the group takes it from here.