Epic rock is a risky business.

Done well, eight minutes of furious drumming and pummeling riffs can be inspiring (think early U2).

But when a band loses its touch, the same earnest music comes off as long-winded as well as annoying (think later U2).

Secret Machines have certainly taken a page from Bono and company, but the band seems to have a greatly abbreviated shelf life.

Its last album, 2004's Now Here is Nowhere, was a stunning success, sounding like an indie band taking on Pink Floyd.

But new release Ten Silver Drops finds the band uninspired, turning what they probably intended as an epic statement into 45 minutes of mush that seems to drag for much longer.

The mix of indie and psychedelic rock never quite takes off on this album.

The Secret Machines push almost every song past the five-minute mark but mostly just ride the riffs instead of expanding on them.

"I Hate Pretending" gets some attention for briefly degrading into white noise at the last minute, but is probably the only time on the record the band really lets go.

Otherwise, the songs blend together, passable but indistinct. Songs like "Lightning Blue Eyes" and "I Want to Know if it's Still Possible" feature catchy guitar melodies but never take them anywhere.

And no matter how a song starts, you can bet it's going to get louder at the end, but then just turn into fuzzy mush instead of going somewhere.

Ten Silver Drops is a simple case of a band sticking too close to its guns and trying to recreate its old sound without the old creative spark.

There are enough moments of inspiration to keep me interested in Machines next go-around, especially if they shake things up.

Grade: C

-- Reviewed by Dustin Pangonis