What does it take to rise above the indie-pop background noise that still (inexplicably) populates a certain corner of the musical universe? Heart-broken melodies and a commitment to the basics. Don't overplay your hand. Don't fuzz out. I suppose a misbegotten belief in the purity of three chords and a dream wouldn't hurt.

Lucy and the Rats Got Lucky (Dirty Water)

Lucy and the Rats hail from London (yet another example of American innovation rebounding back across the pond), and they play that not-quite laid back jangle pop that keeps circling the earth. I get a serious Cub vibe here, and that's not just because Lucy Spazzy's vocals fall in precisely the same alto range as Lisa Marr. The devotion to mid-tempo vocals (no matter what the band might be doing) and multi-tracked harmonies bring me back to that place as well.

Oh yes, there are some lovely punky spikes thrown in, because brighteners. I've always maintained that writing and playing "simple" music is really, really hard to do well. This album sounds so effortless that I can't even imagine the work that went into creating it. The results are totally lovely.

So how to do this sound right? Practice, practice, practice. Find the right amount of rough edges to smooth. And then hit record.

Um, no. But why mess with the mythmaking? Lucy and the Rats have created one of the sunniest albums I've heard in years. Just the sort of thing to make our summer of distance somewhat bearable.

Jon Worley