The Jessica Fletchers, Dressy Bessy, Hot IQs

This is an essential night out for fans of raffish, infectious, congenial and, yes, fun pop music. All the way from Oslo, you've got '60s revivalists The Jessica Fletchers, sounding like some English, phonetically assembled band from Nuggets II, decked out with flutes and strings but still managing to pack...

By Serene Dominic

June 16, 2005

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This is an essential night out for fans of raffish, infectious, congenial and, yes, fun pop music. All the way from Oslo, you've got '60s revivalists The Jessica Fletchers, sounding like some English, phonetically assembled band from Nuggets II, decked out with flutes and strings but still managing to pack a few unexpected right hooks every cut. Plus they've got the most infectious sugar-baby backgrounds since Supergrass' debut. Then from Denver comes Dressy Bessy, who doesn't reach quite as far back for inspiration, unless you wanna count a perverted passion for flared slacks. Fronted by Tammy Ealom, the Bessy's breezy confidence, crunchy guitar rock (thanks to Apples in Stereo axman John Hill ) and new album Electrified suggest what the Breeders might've become if drugs hadn't dulled their buzz. And right behind Dressy Bessy (but not according to our own sister paper Westword, which named them the Best Pop Band in Denver) is Colorado's other great gift to indie pop, the Hot IQs, whose last album, An Argument Between the Brain and Feet, will probably have you rooting for both.

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