With the release of A Better Version of Me, Rainer Maria prove that they have passed their music composition class. The trio has followed all the rules to find a balance between dissonance and harmony that would make your local indie kid swoon. They've got an adequate number of guitar hooks, poetry nerd lyrics, and consistently strong percussion to hold the whole up. But what is most obvious is the Tsunami-like female lead singer who is at the forefront of every composition. For the most part, the vocals swing back and forth between forced falsetto and controlled screaming. There are a few times, however, when they land perfectly off pitch--especially when the dueling male-female technique is used. This is an album that is consistent; neither the low nor the high points stray far from the middle. The finest moments are found at the beginning and end of the album. "Artificial Light" allows them to have a foot in both the twirling gazer and the angst-ridden categories throwing out such lines as "Maybe you try to be pretty instead of kind." With their final song, "Hell and High Water," they hit their most complicated point on the album with decadent, choppy instrumentation and passionate, edgy lyrics that would make their instructors proud. --Liz Riley