The Long Winters

There are enough moments of stunning pop-music brilliance on this second album from Seattle band the Long Winters—really a vehicle built around songwriter, professional student and former Harvey Danger member John Roderick—to warrant election into some sort of hall of fame, even if it’s merely for tastiest exotic-fruit-flavored cough drops. For example, on the irresistible confection “Shapes,” Roderick sounds like Yes’ Jon Anderson fronting the Kinks; on “Scared Straight,” he comes off like the Blue Nile singer Paul Buchanan. What this disc evokes best is that Technicolor moment when progressive rock emerged from British Invasion bands. Though the album sags a bit in the middle, it picks up steam with such endearing winners as “Stupid,” “New Girl” and the rocking “The Sound of Coming Down.”