UNIFIED ONE

The Baggage That It Brings is certainly an appropriate title for a release from a Christian rock band, because many listeners have a set idea of what to expect from groups included in this genre. On a few tunes, such as the explosive “Hotel Prim” and the eerie keyboard-powered “The Passerby,” Unified One blows these preconceptions out of the holy water. Other songs, such as the perky “Fear” and the acoustic “What You Thought,” are nicely executed strolls down the same path that similar groups have pounded into the New Earth. Blending keyboards, acoustic guitars, and rare but effective bursts of distortion-filled chaos, Unified One manages to keep listeners guessing from track to track with its diverse attack. After its last listed tune, the band offers a caustic anti-crossover rant, which with its infectious “Pop Rock Song” chorus proves to be one of the finest hidden songs to appear on a local CD. The surprises keep coming after the last chord is played, with an ad for the band’s Web site and a description of an opportunity to win free merchandise bringing the album’s total running time to exactly an hour.