Raise the Dead (2008)

Reportedly inspired by the music of cult leaders Charles Manson and David Koresh, songs of spiritual unease fill the fourth album from Phantom Planet, the once-sunny tunesmiths behind ''California,'' that indelible O.C. theme song. Thankfully, this L.A.-based quartet pierces the gloom with winsome melodies and swelling, thunderous choruses. While the downbeat ''Leader'' entrances with Arcade Fire-type flourishes (and a children's chorus), tracks like the riotous ''Do the Panic'' rock to the apocalypse with élan. For all the angst, Raise the Dead is ultimately uplifting. B+
DOWNLOAD THIS: Hear ''Do the Panic'' at Phantom Planet's MySpace page