Sugarplum Fairies: The Images We Get

Paradox can be a powerful thing. The combination of hushed female vocals over jingling, poppy guitars is not exactly new, but Sugarplum Fairies (bad band name alert!) do it well. The poppy bounce of “Plastic Sky” is irresistible, and well served by Silvia Ryder’s breathy singing. The band has more than one trick in its bag, however. Down-tempo tunes like “Heart Hell” and “The Images We Get” rub elbows with energetic workouts like “One Trick Pony” and “Jump the Gun”. Ryder indulges in plenty of Mazzy Star-style longing and sliding off the note, but acoustic strummers like “Moth” show a little more verve than that band ever managed. The accordion undertow in album closer “96 Dreams” manages to be at once unexpected and perfectly placed.

Is The Images We Get groundbreaking? Hardly. Engaging, toe-tapping, and fun? Yes, yes and yes.