Everyone Is Having Fun

As the model for what would have been folk-pop in earlier years turns into a general synth-folk fusion instead — drawing on everyone from the Pet Shop Boys and the Magnetic Fields to the Kings of Convenience and, perhaps most famously in the early 21st century, Peter Bjorn and John — it's no surprise to find newer groups perfectly at home with the approach and willing to see where it leads. Thus the debut effort by the duo Jack Beauregard, a familiar enough effort that still bodes well for what the future may hold for the two. At its strongest, as on the marvelous "Everybody Is Happy," with an ominous bassline and calmly sung vocals completely and intentionally undercutting the face-value impact of the lyrics, singer Daniel Schaub and keyboardist Pär Lammers sound so perfectly at home with their sound that it's hard to imagine it any other way. Other standouts include the more familiar shimmer and crunch of "Anyone Around" and the brisk, gently anthemic kick of "Distance in Between," while "I Admit" allows just enough of a polite if slightly outdated R&B squelch in as well.