Minor Alps

The combination of Juliana Hatfield and Nada Surf's Matthew Caws goes beyond being good on paper. In the past, they've contributed backing vocals to each other's songs, but with Minor Alps, they've created a collaboration that plays to both their strengths. It sounds as if they've been making music together for years and Get There is dominated by the duo's glorious vocals. Rather than simply trading lead vocal duties, they take the effortless harmonies route instead, making it hard to discern where one voice ends and the other begins. While the acoustic songs are satisfyingly pretty, particularly "Maxon," it's when they make the switch to electric that it comes alive. Both know their way around a catchy tune and neither holds back — "I Don't Know What to Do With My Hands" is as good a song as either have ever recorded. Minor Alps are more than simply the sum of their parts — the connection between Hatfield and Caws makes Get There a great pop album that will appeal to more than just fans of both participants.