Lovers

Their first two EPs saw Sleepy Jackson mysteriously tagged as alt-country; but this, their fantastic debut album, whisks country rock on a magical mystery tour. Using beautifully crafted pop as a starting point, the band visits everything from Velvet Underground to death rockers the Only Ones and, most curiously, post-new wave outfits such as the Psychedelic Furs. The unlikely combinations work because of frontman Luke Steele; whether he's fusing George Harrison with the Flaming Lips or The Church and Avalon-era Roxy Music, his singular vision means the result never sounds derivative. Recommended.