Oranger

More mature and much more accessible than the first three albums, New Comes and Goes takes no musical chances, but maybe that's just what's needed. Other bands from Weezer to Rooney and even Cake have been hard at work ruining the California sound for everyone else, so it's literally a breath of fresh air to hear a West coast act that actually has some skill. And don't mistake it, the band sounds like California; heck, Oranger even rolls off the tongue like California.

Every song beckons for a second listen, ranging from bass-driven rock songs like opener "Crooked in the Weird of the Catacombs" to softly-pressing ballads like the Elliot Smith-esque "Crones." The noisy aspects of their earlier work are unfortunately missing, true to their claim of emphasizing the pop rather than the psych. Title track New Comes and Goes waxes cool under a heavy beat similar to the one from the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." It's the catchiest song of them all, and if catchiness is worth beans, it's the most likely candidate for an appearance on The OC soundtrack.

-Peter Blais