The recent fortunes of the British trio South have not been as sparkling. Their excellent 2003 release With the Tides rode those titular waves all the way to a desert island of obscurity after lead guitarist Jamie McDonald broke his wrist, forcing the cancellation of a tour. Nevertheless, Tides deserves kudos for its richly cohesive textures and ditching the electro-spangled instrumental interludes that marred From Here On In, their debut co-produced by James Lavelle (UNKLE). Almost every song conjures a furious climax in an epic movie: Cinematic strings sweep through "Loosen Your Hold"; crisp beats and a maelstrom of strumming drive "Colours in Waves"; a crystalline psychedelic hush hovers over "Natural Disasters." With such dramatic pizzazz and McDonald fit and working again, South may ride Metric's buzz-streaked coattails to some overdue success of its own.