Presents the Modal Lines

With referents that include Kramer, the Beach Boys, and Flaming Lips, Jetenderpaul has a sound somewhere between lo-fi and hi-fi, poppier than most alt-rock but more ragged than most power pop. Much of Presents the Modal Lines seems to be recorded in mono, with the balance leaning slightly to the left, and the overall production quality feels a bit cramped, as if the sound were coming out of a transistor radio about five feet from your head. But the songs are genuinely charming; "An Old Pamphlet Quote" asks the musical question "Did you ever think that there's anything wrong with love?," while "All I wanted to remember" commits the cardinal sin of starting with the word "And," then redeems itself with cheesy Beatlesque synthetic horns. "Bonaventure (A Prototype)" floats along on sci-fi keyboards, tambourine, and jangly guitar. The vocals are never expert but always pleasant, which is basically a good way of summing up the appeal of this whole album.