Vacations hails from Newcastle, Australia, a beach town that features a boardwalk called Bathers Way. Look it up. There's definitely a reason the band took the name it did. And the off-twee tunes shimmer just like the first rays of sun off the ocean.

Vacations No Place Like Home (No Fun)

In many ways, this sounds a lot like a minimalist rendition of the Flying Nun sound--pop songs distilled to their glimmering cores. This is the band's third effort, and from what I can hear, there's a bit more of an introspective feel to these songs than on the first two efforts. This album casts a hypnotic spell as it lolls from one song to the next.

The sound is deceptively simple. Reverb is used with a sly sophistication, emphasizing hooks and providing just enough drama. While this is very much a band effort, it nonetheless has the feel of a laptop project. That precision in both writing and performance wrings every bit of shine out of each song.

This one sneaks in and takes an almost surprising hold. Unprepossessing with a skeleton of steel, this set is one of those gentle-sounding pop albums that is anything but. Vacations provides a lovely place to stay, and the band works ever-so-hard to hide its effort. Lovely and amazing.

Jon Worley