Wax on Radio

New buzz bands tend to sound a helluva lot like the buzz bands that immediately preceded them — most of which have already lost their buzz or never really had much in the first place. Not so Wax on Radio, a Chicago act that draws from styles considerably more varied than the latest hot-list entry throughout Exposition, its Downtown Records debut. Singer/guitarist Mikey Russell has a voice that naturally gravitates toward the higher registers, and when tracks such as “Dawn Architects” give him an excuse to go there, he loves to linger — whether he’s gently tracing a ripe melody or figuratively climbing to the heavens one note at a time. As for the group’s music, it’s a case of proggy went a-courtin’, with relatively straightforward segments frequently serving as first stops on artier journeys. Granted, the men of Wax (joined at the hi-dive by the Vanity and tt Lester) take occasional side trips to pretentiousness, but their singularity is appreciated. Rather than blending in with everyone else, they’ve got a buzz all their own.