Cantilevered Heart

The sweet, rhythmic guitar strumming and cryptic stream-of-consciousness lyrics of Cantilevered Heart, the debut album from I See Spots, recalls the great jangle-pop bands of the early '80s like R.E.M. and Guadalcanal Diary. The album is never conspiciously arty, just deliciously lo-fi and quirky. The only awkwardness comes from lyric phrasing that seems sometimes slighly off rhythm, creating a choppy effect on some songs. Otherwise, the melodic basslines, gentle vocals and laid-back drum beats support the guitar in creating layers of folk-pop confection that is overwhelmingly pleasant to listen to. Highlights include "Iditarod," "Wal-Mart," the trippy broken-heart love song "Shades," and the mellow instrumental, "Kiev."