Hopefully Zephyrs stays together and records more music — but if not, this is a good one to go out on. Album review below, full audio stream below that. Watch the video for "Tenderfoot" here.

Image via zephyrsband.bandcamp.com

Zephyrs "Order of the Arrow" (Debacle Records)

"Order of the Arrow" is the latest fire from the Seattle underground rock scene and coughing volcano of the Redmond Fire House Teen Center, the Eastside creative zone that has given us so much, from the Blood Brothers' screaming reign to Fleet Foxes' first concert. In this case we have a mood-swinging rock album by teenage duo and Fire House mainstays Zephyrs. The second half is where it's at: Alternating between hollering pop ("Hood Canal Echo") and watery ballads that seem to want to preserve their own moment ("Astral Maps" and the title track), Adler and drummer Case go back and forth and pull off a cool balancing act, saving one of their best tricks for last — the penultimate "Tidelands" morphing into the campfire coda of "Vespers." The album comes just as singer and guitarist Pierce Adler is about to leave for film school in New York City. So now is a good time to give a round of applause to him and drummer Cameron Case (now playing in local band Crying Shade), who have been daringly mixing punk rock, ambient music and documentary audio collage for years. "Order of the Arrow" is their crowning achievement so far.