Two for Tuesday: 9/8/09

Fate Lions-Good Enough for You. Fate Lions are a Dallas-area band that makes low-key, but interesting and melodic pop. So it wouldn't be a shock if you found out that they were produced by Salim Nourallah, the master of low-key-but-interesting-and-melodic-pop himself. Fate Lions are a bit more upbeat and rocking than Nourallah, but they do share his sensibility and style, meaning that these songs may not jump out at you from your CD or mp3 player, but after a few listens they have a sneaky way of insinuating their way into your head. There's plenty to like here - the Teenage Fanclub jangle of "Seen it All" and "Calendar Girls", the catchy Americana of "Starsign", which recalls Additional Moog and Romantica, the Lemonheadesque "The Girls Are Alright", and the Midwestern rock of "Ride the Artifact". Check it out - it's more than good enough for you.

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The Luxury-In The Wake of What Won't Change. This Boston band has an affinity for long-ish album titles (their 2007 debut was This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things) and the big sound of bands like Jet and Oasis. They've opened for Coldplay, and their sound is even broader than the bands mentioned in the last sentence. The standouts here are "Nothing Comes to Mind", which nails the Britpop sound (you'll be looking for a Gallagher in the songwriting credits), the jaunty "Straitjacket", which proves their sound isn't limited by one and has a Fratellis-like vibe, and the American modern rock sounds of "Take it Back". This is one Luxury you can afford.

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