In the wake of the turn of the millennium invasion of Scandinavian garage rockers, electroclash hipsters, and post-punk emo sad sacks, Norway's Loch Ness Mouse's brand of melodic sugar pop is a refreshing change of pace. The songs radiate with warmth and an almost giddy sense of innocence (something that rarely exists in the cred-obsessed, cynicism-fueled music scenes of the U.S. or U.K.). This carefree feeling coupled with the group's lush harmonies and sprightly acoustic guitars will no doubt make it easy for certain listeners to write them off as being a kitschy '60s-flavored throwback act, but they are in fact much more than this. While the gentlemen of the Loch Ness Mouse are clearly very heavily influenced by outfits like the Beach Boys and the Lovin' Spoonful, their music manages to avoid coming across as a one-dimensional novelty, and is instead an enthralling collection of lovingly crafted pop gems. Whereas the Mouse's 1999 debut effort, Flair for Darjeeling, was comprised of fairly straightforward guitar-based pop songs with an upbeat West Coast-flavored Beach Boys-meets-Monkees feel, Key West is a much more diverse, intricate, and complex album. Songs are made of so many layers of pristine vocal harmonies (including plenty of sparkling "do do do" and "la la la" background choruses) and instruments (including cello and horns) that each track is a virtual symphony, with the giddy spirit of a parade. In the band's finest moments, the Loch Ness Mouse calls to mind the underrated genius of the Turtles, but with a certain modern flair.

1		Hanna & the Twins
2		Salty Hair
3		Marker Numbers
4		Aloha
5		Adrift
6		In the City In the Morning
7		I Lost My Hart to Mary Ann
8		Jules Verne
9		Ceylon Sailor
10		Narrow-Gauge Railways
11		Listen Up!
12		Quay West

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