Populous is a tight and effective series of thoroughly upbeat, occasionally jangling pop songs with a series Britpop influence; songwriters Jim Kompare and James G. Ryan completely avoid the drama and angst so typical to late-'90s indie-rock, opting instead for direct, feel-good hooks and straight-ahead pop guitar. The songs on
Populous wind up rather reminiscent of the British end of college radio in the late '80s, like a stripped-down and slightly more rock-oriented American version of
the Mighty Lemon Drops,
Darling Buds, Primitives or countless other Britpop units -- and this works far better than one might expect.