Voyeur

On the surface, Southern California's Saint Motel could easily be mistaken for a British band. With its sharp haircuts, dapper suits, and cultured guitar pop, the fetching quartet seems more London than Los Angeles. “Feed Me Now” exuberantly opens Saint Motel's 2012 debut album, Voyeur. Latin horns blast festively over a sophisticated blending of early-Smiths jauntiness and The Housemartins’ penchant for dashing melodies. The following “Benny Goodman” turns up the tube amps and cranks the guitar reverb to create a garage rock–flavored background, while AJ Jackson sings with a more glamorous approach akin to Placebo frontman Brian Molko. The musicianship here is both loose and seasoned-sounding; the arrangements are clever and dynamic. What's even more impressive is how both the samba-styled piano melody and Jackson’s singing parts become catchier with repeated listens. The aptly titled “1997” recalls that time in Britpop's heyday when bands like Pulp, Blur, and Suede were crafting bookish and elegant recordings.