One day, against all odds, you’ll wake up and realize you have time for an act named Delicate Steve. Get over your wariness of such a precious handle and you’ll discover loads of interesting rock songs at a time when interesting rock songs ain’t so plentiful. Delicate Steve’s 2011 debut on Luaka Bop, Wondervisions, sounds like it could be James Blood Ulmer–esque harmolodics for indie-rock kids or prog-informed synthesizer doodles for video gamers who dig Queen’s Brian May. On 2012’s Positive Force, Steve lets his slide do the eloquent talking in a slightly more subdued, Ratatat-lite manner, while on the newer This Is Steve, the Delicate one opts for easy-striding, J.J. Cale–like boogie rock featuring all sorts of fuzzed-out and flanged guitar tones and riffs that deserve to fill arenas. Bonus: No vocals intrude on the ax heroics. by Dave Segal