Better Can’t Make Your Life Better

San Francisco’s Stratford 4 fell apart before they could release their third album, a planned major label debut produced by Ric Ocasek, but in 2015 they came back together just long enough to finally get it out there for a still appreciative fanbase. Keep Your Crazy Head on Straight is a classic case of varying artistic impulses finding just enough of a middle ground — a little shoegaze here, crisp pop rock there, and an overall sense of bringing it live (which they absolutely could do, and did).