There’s a bone-rattling quality to Last Giant’s sophomore album, Memory of the World. Songwriter Ryan Heise’s (ex-System and Station) heavy-handed riffs offer modern rock decadence, gladly wading in the pools of ’70s prog on songs like “The Comedian” and contemporary blues on “Toys for the Devil.” The secret ingredient for the Portland trio is its obvious attention to the details, and Memory of the World boils over with interesting guitar moments, melodic interludes, and catchy harmonies. It’s the type of rock ’n’ roll album that in less finicky times would’ve marked the first rung in a ladder of stratospheric success for a band as talented as Last Giant. With songs as nuanced (if a bit milquetoast) as “Inventory,” the band’s malleability is perhaps its strongest asset. by Ryan J. Prado