The Maccabees - Colour It In (2007)

Sometimes bands aren't known for stand-out tracks. Instead, they’re meant to be enjoyed as reflection music for that lazy Sunday evening spent laying around, thinking. If you’re looking for simply beautiful tunage that’s got all the flavor of indie rock, minus the pretense and unnecessary complexity of its genre’s counterparts... enter: Colour It In by The Maccabees.

They're so derivative that if I walked into their sound check I'd say "Whoa! You sound great, but could you tone down the Bloc Party?" before inevitably getting thrown out. This sounds bad, but sometimes music with little inventiveness and/or no real surprises can provide the same comfort we get from watching our favorite movie over and over again. It's astonishing how heavily they borrow from Bloc Party in vocals/instrumentation, but at least this ensures pretty guitar and peaceful vocals that result in beautiful music amidst the chaos of some seriously layered instrumentation. My favorite tracks, "The Real Thing" and "Toothpaste Kisses," just so happen to be the most stripped down and unfortunately shortest songs on the album. I tend to put them on loop just so I can get a real fill of their sweetness.

And now the nominations for "Cutest Music Video"... it's perfect for artsy bisexual types or anyone who understands that "perfectly choreographed" doesn't always mean cheesy backup dancers: