Mobius Band

Because indie rock has settled into a kind of polite earnestness best characterized by well-intentioned pasty-faces like Youth Group, and because electronica is slowly getting its corners sanded by the Postal Service, the next logical step was to combine the two. A number of bands have already fiddled with this configuration to surprisingly thrilling results (United States of Electronica), making The Loving Sounds of Static, the second record by Massachusetts' Mobius Band, seem slightly deflated by comparison. The group draws bright electronic squiggles across beige guitar tunes, making the dank "Close the Door" seem jittery and eager, and, on "Radio Coup," making a fine New Order song out of what would have been a fine Shins song. If it all adds up to something less than miraculous, it's only because both basic components are a bit too mannered. Mobius Band proves that "inoffensive" is a far cry from "unforgettable."