The Deal: Charlotte rock quartet Transmission Fields releases eight-song, self-titled studio effort on Nov. 28, 2009.

The Good: Too often, a band releases its debut CD and gets all of the great stuff out and then begins a steady downward slide from album to album as their fanbase decreases and they're slowly forgotten. The opposite trend would describe Transmission Fields – the band's latest effort is some of its best work and shows an upward trend in both musicianship and songwriting. The Joe Kuhlman-produced disc opens up with the catchy, anthemic "Air/Lungs" before going a bit more of the pop-rock route for "State of Disrepair" – pop without being cliché or cheesy. Things slow down for "Ballad of Meaningless Words" – allowing for more focus on vocals and lyrics. The band gets a little more playuful with effects on "Pills" and closes out the disc with the spacy "Memory."

The Bad: As always with good music, you always wish there was more of it.

The Verdict: Good things come to those who wait, or those who bust their collective asses to improve their craft. One of the better local releases I heard this past year – and there are lots of them.