(Warp)

www.warp.net

Maybe it's because they're signed to a techno label or they know how to mine sweet harmonies but this Brooklyn quartet remains media darlings.  Most of all, it's easy to see why when you give them a listen- the layered, lilting music and soaring voices (think mid-60's Beach Boys) are just so damn likable. Since they keep their winning formula going on this third album, there's little chance of falling out with their admirers, even as they expand their sound since 2006's Yellow House. 

Though the lush, bouncy "Two Weeks" could be straight off of Pet Sounds, they also add in low-key dance rhythms ("Cheerleader"), gospel chants ("Dory"), tense, twangy surf/new wave guitars ("Ready, Able"), dub-like echoes ("About Face") and art-rock fantasies ("I Live With You"). But even with the embellishments, it's still the sweet voice and folkie melodies that carry their tunes.  And hey, why mess with a good thing?

Standout Tracks: "Fine For Now," "Dory" JASON GROSS