THE JAMESES are from West Palm Beach, Florida. Two of these share the middle name James, but which two? They met in high school back in the 90s and have been playing together in various musical incarnations ever since. When asked about their sound, the band simply says people have described their music as "really cool." Lazy writers will throw them under the droop of the pop/psyche umbrella, but thankfully The Jameses won't let them off that easily. Breezy pop runs headlong into Teardrop Explodes-like cinematic gloom, only to arrive at straight-up garage punk, all the while hanging on to the most important part -- the songs. There's a lot going on here -- surprising melodic turns, thoughtful atmospherics, odd guitar stabs, abrupt thematic shifts -- but all of these details only serve to support the catchy pop songs at the center. And perhaps that's why it might be best to stick with 'really cool' instead of tripping over yourself trying to nail them down, when really The Jameses' self-released single just has to be heard. It showed up out of nowhere and bowled over the lucky few whose path it crossed (including Captured Tracks, who have already signed on to release the full-length based on hearing the single). This thing's a future classic; don't miss out.