Pelle Carlberg, Everything. Now! (TwentySeven Records) -- This album still hasn't completely settled in my mind. After an initial listen, I was dumbfounded by the quality of the music. The songs are well-written, as are the lyrics, and the two come together flawlessly. This is a solid album from beginning to end. And even when writing about more depressing topics like the death of Warren Zevon (CD opener "Musikbyran Makes Me Wanna Smoke Crack"), the mood is still light and pretty. It picks up where Belle and Sebastian went wrong sometime around Tigermilk or If You're Feeling Sinister. This well-substantiated folk-pop will be claiming its place in the mainstream consciousness soon. Rating: Yes. -- Brendan Greene-Walsh.

Tim sez: The Belle and Sebastian comparison couldn't be more on target. Carlberg's sound and style on tracks like the hand-clap driven "Riverbank" and "Summer of '69" so emulate those Scottish lads that it borders on aping. But it's how he approaches his topics that's so perplexing. As sunny sounding as the dour-lyriced "Musikbyran..." sounds, "Telemarketing" -- an ode to irresistible bargains sold over the phone -- is downright funereal. It's Carlberg's peppy shuffles, along with his smart, introspective lyrics, however, that make it a keeper. File this Swede-pop under the easiest, lightest stuff by Morrissey, Lloyd Cole, Kings of Convenience, and yeah, B&S. Rating: Yes.