Bricolage

It's exceptionally difficult not to talk about Bricolage without mentioning the grand tradition of indie pop from their hometown of Glasgow, because it's hard to imagine they could come from anywhere else on the strength of their self-titled debut. Sounding like the third coming of the city's legendary Postcard Records, Bricolage have found the middle ground between Orange Juice and Josef K and don't try too hard to wander from that path. This translates into an album that always sounds somewhat familiar but with just enough freshness to keep it from being overly derivative. Most of that freshness comes from the infectious joy that the band sing their pop songs with, and the fact that they know to end those songs pretty quickly to keep things from getting stale. And that's why this turns out to be a lot more satisfying than the first couple of listens might initially suggest. These are not the most complex songs around but sometimes a catchy tune is enough to make a band stand out from the crowd, as is the case with Bricolage.