Starlight Mints

In a parallel universe, Norman, OK's Starlight Mints might be considered "normal," but there is little normality on their debut, The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of. Formerly a seven-piece (the weirdness must have been just too out of control) and now a slim quintet, Starlight Mints compose some of the loveliest pop hooks and melodies and mix them with "different" blends of orchestral arrangements, off tempo beats and quirky vocals. "Sugar Blaster" at first sounds like an ode to the Fall, only to morph into a bouncy pop gem that matches any pop song written by the Dandy Warhols. "The Twilight Showdown" is as entertaining and imaginative as a Pixies tune, which is how most of the album measures. Basing a lot of ideas around psychedelia, Latin influences and '60s British rock, this album is a wild and outrageously entertaining attempt to add another element to pop music. With Alan Vest's difficult vocal styling (think Black Francis or Hefner's Darren Hayman) combined with Andy Nunez's unique guitar riffs, there is a lot here to make Starlight Mints seem like just another Elephant 6-ish band.