CD reviews in briefs and boxers

Acid House Kings
Sing Along with Acid House Kings
Twentyseven Records

The Cardigans are Deep Purple next to this cheekily named Swedish outfit. The world, of course, isn't as soft as these folk-pop tunes, and neither are marshmallows wrapped in cashmere. Is music of so delicate and anachronistic dangerously hermetic, or is it a necessary counterweight to the more common escapism of dehumanization and violence? Do you like puppies? Over 12 songs--recalling Belle & Sebastian, Pet Clark, and Spanky & Our Gang--the co-ed foursome's well-wrought melodies can get oppressively anodyne, but several tunes, "That's Because You Drive Me" especially, are so sweet, so sincerely, romantically in search of beauty that shunning them might be a sign of grave emotional decay, the sort found in a great many successful people. Undoubtedly the group's members have wonderfully cozy apartments, and would open them up to you, were you being chased by a mugger or masher. --Dylan Hicks