There's something about the Blake Babies' music that's as fresh as a whiff of just-mown hay at eight o'clock on a summer's morning. The dew is not yet dry on this Boston band's back; the trio's music is chock-full of a sense that the days to come will be rife with adventure and hope. Sunburn, the band's second record, exudes youthfulness and charm, a gaiety of spirit that despite, or perhaps...

Displaying youthful, energetic verve and a heartening lack of pretension, the Blake Babies play it clean and simple on Earwig. They prefer streamlined order to the densely compressed clutter that typifies so much American rock. Guitarist John Strohm can riff, solo and play arpeggios with the best of them, but he's got the added advantage of taste; he manages the neat trick of saying more with...