Bright

Bright, as in smart and occasionally brilliant - definitely not as in sparkly and sunny. Despite their Krautrock-inspired drones and brooding, lower-register hooks straight out of gloomy, post-industrial British post-punk, Bright hail from the American indie heartland. But you'd have to search high and low to find kindred spirits in the American indie pop landscape - the Grifters, who also have a flair for the moodily, almost snarkily melodic, would be about as close as you can get. Still, don't let this give you the impression that Bright are one-dimensional mopers who've been in mourning ever since Ian Curtis offed himself, however obvious Joy Division may be as an influence. Any seriousness is leavened by a subtly sardonic streak and a canny sense of how to wind out a compelling pop groove - all bass throbs, low-end minor chords and hushed vocals - into near-epic reaches, as mesmerising as they are offhandedly catchy.