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Conspirator: Unlocked – Live from the Georgia Theatre

SCI Fidelity

Conspirator’s first live album opens with “Park Ave,” a track that they share with the Disco Biscuits—which is apropos given that both bands share the same keyboardist (Aron Magner) and bassist (Marc Brownstein). But by Unlocked’s second track, “So Much More,” Conspirator quickly prove that they’ve grown into so much more than just a Disco Biscuits offshoot. The difference, clearly, is the addition of guitar slinger Chris Michetti. The star in a band filled with star power (drummers have included Pretty Lights’ Adam Deitch, Lotus’ Mike Greenfield, and the New Deal’s Darren Shearer), Michetti uses his axe like a machete, cutting ties to any preconceptions that you had of this band. Another difference here are the songs, most of which are dance floor bangers for kids who still like to rock when they roll. Easy highlights include “Proper Education,” which re-imagines Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Part II,” and the set closing “Retrograde,” which features a recorded vocal that might as well serve as Conspirator’s mantra: “Close my eyes/ Just be free.”