Lesser bands than South aspire to the sprawling, anthemic soundscape first sketched out by The Edge’s reverb-drenched Stratocaster, but, invariably, they fall prey to the easy gratification of a two-chord drone and pointless bloat. But South tempers its symphonic tendencies with razor-sharp production choices and meticulous, detailed arrangements. The result is a sound as big as Coldplay, as nuanced and ambient as The Verve, but without Richard Ashcroft’s anesthetized haze. For all that, though, the question remains whether the emotional payoff could ever live up to the promise of such aural expansiveness. If the answer is no, and it usually is, then you’re left with nothing but the ephemeral pleasure of pure surface. But South makes a valiant run at infusing its wall of sound with depth and substance, and it sure is fun to listen to them try.