Crossword Smiles

Pressed and Ironed

Big Stir Records

You wouldn’t think an amalgam of Fountains Of Wayne, Steely Dan, and early REM and other jangle pop bands would work, until you hear Pressed and Ironed and find that it does. And very well, too.

The lyrics are about relationships, and and while they’re a lot more serious than FoW, the band also has a knack for satire, like on “This Little Town,” which is also reminiscent of the Go-Betweens' “Stress of This Town.” But mostly they’re Dan-like: friendly but curt, wry but sensible, pointed but gentle. All are a joy to hear, as the Dan’s lyrics are punchier than most people realized, but now everyone will.

While the lyrics on the jangle pop/college rock songs are sometimes Michael Stipe-like, I also hear the Connells, which makes for a unique blend. This style of music should be explored more by today’s bands. It’s too good not to.

If the combinations make you shy away, don’t. This is a great debut of a band fully formed. They know what they want and how to play it, and as someone who’s been waiting too long to hear something like this, I welcome it. It’s likely that you will too.

Andrea Weiss