With The End of Imagining, the five-years-in-planning debut album from the Space Twins, Weezer guitarist Brian Bell doesn't just step out from the shadow of Rivers Cuomo; he proves himself to be an adventurous songwriter with remarkable depth. The lilting psychedelia of "Rust Colored Sun," for instance, evokes strains of choice Spiritualized, but rather than keep floating in space, Bell moves on to the solid, albeit somber, Beatlesque "Rings of Saturn." Elsewhere, the irresistible, terse rocker "Yellow Camaro" -- which Bell had actually demoed with Weezer but wisely yanked back for his own use -- recalls the muscle and charm of Guided by Voices. Bassist Tim Maloof also contributes three credible tunes, including the humorous, acoustic novelty "Nico" and the shimmering "There's Always Tomorrow," but this is clearly Bell's show. That's not to say Maloof, his guitarist/brother Glenn, and drummer Mike Elliott aren't dexterous players; they skillfully soar through communicable numbers like the mid-tempo "Running Out of Time" and the horn-peppered pop of "Trudy Truelove," two of Bell's best. The End of Imagining does have one noticeable dud, the sluggish "Louder Than Lies," but in large part this disc was well worth the wait.