The Violet Hour

This British retro-pop band captures a beautiful rainy-season melancholia that recalls both the early works of Marianne Faithfull and Francoise Hardy and their Scottish modern-day brethren Belle & Sebastian. Singer Alasdair MacLean wraps his troubles in reverb and comes up with beautifully imagistic tone poems that lean harder on atmosphere than outright pop hooks. Their debut, Suburban Light, was a collection of lo-fi singles; they captured an innocence the group manages to maintain here despite their more professional focus. There's a peculiar longing and even nostalgia to these gentle, slow-moving pieces. "When You and I Were Young" and "Missing" form a gorgeous fog that glazes over lost love and lost years. Guitars swirl and suggest, while the rhythms shuffle and wander the countryside. No one is supposed to truly understand what MacLean is singing on "House on Fire," as his voice moves from a whisper to a croon (though the band's website provides lyrics for the curious). This is music of great mystery, of a bracing beauty that sneaks up on you over time.