What a difference a decade makes. Formerly on Lookout Records, this Seattle outfit managed to catch the attention of Sony BMG with its post-punk sunshine pop, recalling what really was right about such '70s pop acts as the Raspberries, the Babys and Badfinger without the angst of failed relationships or eccentric pathologies. The Lashes also put the final nail in Seattle's romance with grunge. That's not to say that there's no depth or bite here; both "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" and "Daddy's Little Girl" recall the spite and malice of vintage Elvis Costello, couching a finely honed sense of irony and purpose in athletic guitar runs, stately organ fills, pithy aphorisms and near-perfect Beatlesque harmonies. This group can only get better. -- Jaan Uhelszki