Static

Image: Martina Mullaney

Pompeii - Indian Jewelry

Indian Jewelry didn't used to be this nice or good. They used to be noisy, vaguely threatening, willfully iconoclastic, difficult and interesting but very ... did I say noisy? Ok, they still sound like they're singing from the bottom of a well (or in the case of "Pompeii," choking on volcanic ash?), still spouting static, knitting dense nets of mild-to-moderate cacophony. And they continue to love a good coma-inducing drone. But for all intents and purposes, this here is a folky pop song, with clear, emphatic chord progressions draped in jingle-jangle and mope. Don't ask me what the guy's singing.

One of the best surprises of the year so far, you really should buy "Free Gold!" when it hits the street May 20 (preorder from Amazon).