A New Jersey indie rock supergroup of sorts, East of Venus had been in existence for the past decade, but it wasn’t until last year that the band finally got around to cutting a record. Sadly that album, the recently released Memory Box (Omnivore Recordings), is not only its first, but also its last. Singer and principal songwriter Michael Carlucci, formerly guitarist for the Winter Hours and one-time owner of Subterranean Records (i.e. my favorite New York record store of all-time), passed away after suffering a heart attack last November. The rest of the band—Feelies guitarist and singer Glenn Mercer, Bongos bassist Rob Norris, and Feelies drummer Stanley Demeski, who played with Carlucci in the Winter Hours—have dedicated the album to his memory.

As one might expect from the members’ pedigrees, Memory Box is a mix of jangly guitars and plaintive vocals tinged by, for lack of a better, ’80s college rock. Throughout, Carlucci proves that his talents hadn’t gathered rust in the years since the Winter Hours scored a hit with “Smoke Rings” in 1989. Songs like the leadoff “Let’s Find a Way” and “You Started Something” are highlighted by winding guitar lines that play off one another and Carlucci’s dulcet vocals. Meanwhile, covers of Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe” and the Rolling Stones’ “Citadel” fall naturally amongst Carlucci’s originals. Indeed, the 10-track record is immediately likable for its mix of familiarity and fresh sounds. Nonetheless, it’s a bittersweet enjoyment knowing that there will never be a follow-up.