Virgineers

Chocked full of the '60s psych references that pop reviewers love to go on about, the Virgineers self-titled debut will appeal to Beatle-philes and people with Union Jacks on their bedroom walls (barring skinheads, that is). It could be said that the Virgineers mine the Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour era a wee bit too heavily - check out the "Blue Jay Way"-ish "Sun," the "Strawberry Fields"-ish "Floating," or the "All Too Much" organs on "How Far Does Space Go?" Nonetheless, this duo (reportedly from Antarctica, but c'mon) gets all those Beatles harmonies and silly "sha la las" just right. There are other influences, though - Status Quo and the Move (you didn't think you'd get that melody on "Places of the Sun" past us train-spotting reviewers, did you lads?) being the most prominent. Soft rockers should take note of the Badfinger-esque "Plasticman," which sounds much like something Air would have written. The Virgineers do indeed wear their influences on their paisley sleeves, but you gotta admit that those sleeves are pretty stylin.'