Friday, December 5, 2008

NADA SURF "Lucky" Barsuk DELTA SPIRIT "Ode to Sunshine" Rounder THE JEALOUS GIRLFRIENDS "The Jealous Girlfriends" Jealous Girlfriends

SUNG FROM the viewpoint of crumbling remains ("what you are now, we were once"), the opening song on Nada Surf's "Lucky" might not seem to express good fortune. But "See These Bones," like the other tunes on the Brooklyn indie-rock trio's gently beguiling fifth album, is not about win-the-lottery kind of luck. Singer-songwriter Matthew Caws and his cohorts celebrate simpler blessings, as befits this set's low-key musical style.

Although several songs accelerate, most of the material is mid-tempo, with vocal melodies that float over the instruments. A few numbers, notably "Are You Lightning?," even laze toward old-time country. Assisted by almost a dozen guest musicians, the band crafts a lushly layered sound, but the sonic sweetness doesn't reflect complacency. When "Beautiful Beat" extols the power of music, it's to "lift me up from distress," and the album's liveliest track, "From Now On," counsels that "you'll have to invent what you lack." In other words, "Lucky" means making your own luck.

Formed by two former members of the punky Noise Ratchet, Delta Spirit ventures into country, folk, gospel and other traditional music. On "Ode to Sunshine," the San Diego quintet's debut, electric guitar is sometimes upstaged by barrelhouse piano and mandolin, and such rowdy numbers as "People C'mon" invite a back-porch singalong. The results are lively, if seldom distinctive. Perhaps the band will grow into its countrified style, but this album's most convincing songs are the ones, including "Parade" and "Streetwalker," that endow the Spirit's old-fashioned music with a contemporary drive.

Originally a studio-based duo that featured Holly Miranda's breathy vocals, the Jealous Girlfriends have grown into a quintet that gives equal weight to Josh Abbott's singing and songwriting. On its self-titled second album, the Brooklyn band shows an almost-disconcerting range. "The Pink Wig to My Salieri" reveals the Girlfriends' way with electro-tinged pop and obscure song titles, and "How Now" beefs up the guitars. Yet both have dreamy melodies, which are these songs' common currency. Although the group's music pulls in various directions, Miranda and Abbott's tunes dovetail nicely.

-- Mark Jenkins

Appearing Friday at the 9:30 club (202-393-0930, http://www.930.com). Show starts at 9 p.m.