Art in Manila: Steve Bartoiome, Orenda Fink (guitar); Dan McCarthy (accordion); Adrianne Verhoeven (keyboards); Ryan Fox (bass guitar); Corey Broman (drums).

Former Azure Ray leader Orenda Fink teamed up with a veteran band featuring members of the Anniversary, McCarthy Trenching, and the Good Life to form Art in Manila. The upbeat arrangements and poppy feel of the tracks on this sterling debut belie their darker lyrical tones (see "Time Gets Us All," "Our Addictions," and "The Abomination," for example), but the end result is intelligent, masterly indie pop. The main attraction here is Fink's subtly alluring vocals--sounding like a more muscular Sarah McLachan--with enough air and teeth for those who like both breathy melodies and a little bite.