Belle & Sebastian-- "If You're Feeling Sinister" (EMI-Enclave 56713)

Sloan-- "One Chord To Another" (EMI-Enclave 55281)

Belle & Sebastian's debut is a real lazy afternoon classic: reminiscent of pastoral gems like XTC's "Skylarking," The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society" or Aztec Camera's "High Land Hard Rain," but with a lyrical agenda all its own. Wonderful slabs of minor-chorded, acoustic-driven daydream: "Mayfair," "Judy and the Dream of Horses," "Stars of Track and Field," and the simply heartbreaking "Boy Done Wrong Again," where our tortured balladeer (Belle? Sebastian?) begs the heavens for the power to sing "the saddest song that was ever heard." He damn near succeeds in his effort, as simply-rendered colorations of cello, acoustic guitar and violin underscore his wish. But it's not all sobbing and anguish. The title track is an uptempo and upbeat song about an unrepentant atheist, and a snatch of nasty electric guitar invades the breezy road song, "Dylan in the Movies." In all, "If You're Feeling Sinister" is a near-perfect set of Brit-born folk-pop; an airmail letter from distant lands full of old friends you never knew you had.

To contrast Belle & Sebastian's understated whimsy, Sloan offer up a noisy / catchy set of rock (and pop rock) anthems that also stick like creamy peanut butter to the top of your brain. Their new "One Chord To Another" is as bright and appealing as it is unabashedly retro (for a limited time you can even get a fun "extra" disc that has the group exploring their many influences in a live houseparty setting:, the Hollies, Stereolab. . . )-- containing slick British Invasion-oid concoctions like "Everything You've Done Wrong" ("Good Day Sunshine" in "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"'s clothing), as well as more experimental slabs of sound (i.e. "400 Metres," a song that suggests Pavement on a Maritime Province holiday). But this isn't just by-the-numbers power pop. The opening "The Good In Everyone" is a standard Posies-like bash, but there is sturdier and more acidic material like "Junior Partner" and the songwriting ode, "G Turns to D" lying in wait-- pop vignettes that take structural formalism to darker, more interesting places.

Melody isn't dead. "If You're Feeling Sinister" and "One Chord To Another" are winning enough to make you believe that melodicism in popular music might even be on the upswing. It's not even summertime yet.

--- Don Harrison