Using songs as a power source may not be a concept that the utilities have looked into yet, but the NYC groove rock band Went has already got it completely figured out. The process begins with late-night mental experiments by singer Sara Wendt as she devises new outlets for her voice, a rare mix of dramatic strength and sultry restraint that stirs emotions on its own. What happens next is a patented chemical process, where drummer Heather Ferguson, bassist James Dower and guitarist Paul Worden ride the current she creates to craft songs that people are proving more than happy to plug into. "Singing is soothing and even cathartic for me at times," Sara says. "It gets me away from my thoughts and expresses something I have no language for." The resulting energy of a Went song can be electrifying, delivered either live from the stage or from their recent full-length release, Parachute. The CD's 11 tracks take listeners through a tight tour of songs that can drive, groove, haunt and stay firmly lodged in the mind for days. Meanwhile, Sara's lyrics look at stuff like addiction and religion, despair and joy. "I can connect to deeper places best through writing music," explains Sara, who along with Ferguson had previously honed her writing chops as a member of the critically acclaimed collective Homer Erotic. "When the process is at it's best, a song comes through and all I have to do is focus on getting out of its way." What it all adds up to is a charged-up experience that is distinctly Went, an exhilarating merger of a star-quality voice, deep thinking (or not thinking) and a band of believers. "Usually I don't know what the songs are about until they are done," Sara says, "and it's great when someone's interpretation is totally different from my own - I realize I'm reaching people in some kind of personal way, that I'm getting through." - David Weiss