Treehouse
If the Grapes of Wrath's debut, September Bowl of Green, sounded like a band searching for its sound, they found it with Treehouse, a 13-song disc full of jangly, pastoral guitar pop, hummable melodies, and terrific harmonies. Co-songwriters and vocalists Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane deliver songs that are airy, light, and imbued with the best elements of '60s British and American pop; you can hear the Byrds in "A Very Special Day" and the Beatles in "At Your Soul." Elsewhere, songs like "So Many Times" and "Seems Like Fate" recall Echo & the Bunnymen and the Smiths. This is thoughtful, folksy pop at its finest. --Adem Tepedelen