Since the Sundays' previous record, 1992's Blind, songwriters David Gavurin and Harriet Wheeler have hatched a recording studio and a baby. The young'un running around the mixing board hasn't changed their sound on Static and Silence, though; Gavurin's airy guitars are still coupled with Wheeler's clear, angelic voice. Aside from the perky rhythm and wah wah guitar of "Summertime," most of the...

To join the ranks of sophisticated pop ensembles with female vocalists – whose membership includes the Cocteau Twins, 10,000 Maniacs and, on occasion, Everything but the Girl – a band must meet certain stylistic criteria. The guitar-based sound must be politely electric, near but outside the boundaries of folk rock, and delicate but not flimsy. Lyrics should be intelligent, even a bit...