Sunrise

The Electric Pop Group's sound is probably best defined by what it is not. It isn't brash. It isn't boisterous. You might even go so far as to say that it isn't extroverted, either, or petty, or impolite. Just in terms of texture, you could probably say it isn't lumpy, either. This is, above all, extremely comfortable music, the kind of jangly indie pop rooted in core influences like the Field Mice and the Orchids. Sunrise is the Electric Pop Group's sophomore release following their self-released 2006 debut, and if it indicates anything it's that this little band from Sweden has some staying power, if only because the group will sound so familiar and accessible to fans of this genre. Sunrise touches on all the typical themes of shambly twee pop: it's nostalgic, albeit reluctantly (see "This Is the Town"); it's hopelessly romantic ("I Could See the Lights"); and it features a song about summer ("Summer's Day"). But even if the Electric Pop Group tread the same old indie pop territory, they sure make it seem like a great place to revisit. "Summer's Day" finds the group at its tentative, sparkling best thanks to some glowing synth strings, crisp tambourines, and Erik Aamot's shy, unaffected vocals. That said, this is an awfully derivative little disc, and one shouldn't approach it with the hope that it will deliver the kind of fresh, new twee pop that will knock one's argyle socks off. But it isn't bad, either; again, it's comfortable. Nothing wrong with that.