From Winchester to Manchester to Leeds, Rob McVey, guitarist Doug Morch, bassist Aidan Banks and drummer Matt Dabbs think you stupid Americans should perk up and check their band Long-View out. And I do, too.

After releasing three EPs with good sell-thru in the UK, the group dropped their first full-length, “Mercury” in July 2003 and the record quickly rose to the Top 30, but more importantly, the Brits were digging the sonic cathedral genre outside of (cough, sellouts) groups like U2, Verve and Coldplay.

After about year of opening in tours across the UK, the group was ready for Matt Pinfield (former MTV-Vee Jay) to bring them stateside.

The first single, “Further,” cut through college radio and garnered the attention of discerning American rockers with its layers of incandescent guitar and soaring U2-bass-based power chords partnered with an occasional New Age gospel choir. With pitch-perfect production by Pearl Jam producer Parashar, the rest of the tracks on “Mercury” boast fantastic backgrounding with strings, undistorted and then distorted keys, guitar feedback and backing vocals on even the ballads (which actually aren’t my favorite).

Although the single and opening track is the best part, the group has a good future ahead of it in the American pop rock market. With uplifting lyrics on par with The Polyphonic Spree and an increasing market for pop rock on the softer side (newer Incubus, Maroon 5, etc), look for Long-View’s next album to blow up.

Long-View’s “Mercury” hit stores in mid-March on Columbia Records. You can buy it online through the Sony Music Store for $10 bucks.