Bricolage

Just as their name implies, young Glasgow indie pop outfit Bricolage are all about finding new contexts for familiar sounds, and they succeed admirably in how they put all the pieces together. Produced by Stephen Lironi, whose early '80s band Altered Images were the poster children for sparkling, summery pop, their self-titled debut is chockablock with energetic, intelligent, guitar-based tunes given richly detailed, crafty arrangements that acknowledge historical influences without sounding slavishly retro. There are definite homages sprinkled throughout, like the Beach Boys-inspired harmonies of "Plots Are For Cemeteries," the Ray Davies on the village green vocals on "Sleepwalk To Me," the familiar drum pattern that opens "A Terrible Souvenir" (which they've copped from the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," just like their fellow Scots swiped it from the Ronettes' "Be My Baby"), the sly glam-rock tributes that decorate "The Waltzers," and the dead-on vocal impersonation of the founding father of Scottish twee pop, Orange Juice's Edwyn Collins, on "Turn U Over." But while too many bands forget to do anything new with the favorite old sounds they reference, Bricolage puts these nicked bits into a fresh modern context.