Coming quickly on the heels of the decidedly dire Istanbul / Fog of War, By the Time Your Rocket Gets to Mars finds Jerry Joseph returning to what he does best—namely pure, unapologetic rock-and-roll. Whereas that last album was obsessed with sobering circumstance, Joseph seems less encumbered this time around, singing songs that—while they’re not exactly celebratory at their essence—are certainly more uplifting and inspired. The opening one-two punch of “Cosmic” and “Giraffe” sets the tone, allowing Joseph to pump out the music with full frenzy. Not that this is one joyful celebration; “A Really Heavy Feather” and “Mars” are subdued and considered, and with “Supernatural,” Joseph references the suffering wrought by war he recently witnessed firsthand. “Digging it out of the dayglo/ Seven more shades of the grey/ All of the rules of the rainbow will only get in your way.” Happily though, those travails don’t deter him, and by the time he gets back in stride with the relentless “Run to Me,” this Rocket appears fully ignited. “Hold your hands together/ Hold what’s in your heart,” Joseph sings on “One World at a Time,” offering a lesson on redemption that’s well worth remembering.