As a follow-up to their well-received debut EP, this mini-album positions husband/wife duo The Harvey Girls exactly where a DIY, part-time band should be at this point in the game: coming into their own and sizzling with potential to blow minds, if they ever find enough time and resources. Comparisons to other bands are still inevitable -- you may detect morsels of Apples in Stereo and gobs of Yo La Tengo, among other groups -- but the important thing is that The Harvey Girls are always bold on Blabber 'N' Smoke, and it usually pays off.

Three of these songs, "Good Morning, Bubblegum", "Green Lights (In Your Heavy Metal Mind)" and "Quiet, Lion", are post-it-in-your-MP3-blog, call-up-your-pals, slap-it-on-a-mixtape good. The twosome couldn't have picked a more smile-inducing opener than "Good Morning, Bubblegum". With cheery whistling, syrupy whirlwinds of tambourine and psych-pop fuzz guitar, and a knockout horn hook, it sounds exactly like its title, serving up both a swift kick in the pants and unadulterated jubilation. The Girls pull out their autumn sweaters for "Green Lights", basking in the cool glow of acoustic guitar strumming, faint electronic embellishments and reassuring shakers; it builds into a mildly rocking finale, but you'll remember the song as an exercise in hushed melodicism. "Quiet, Lion", on the other hand, remains calm for its duration, pulling the shades down tight and stripping to see-through eight-bit blips, sexy moonbeam organ and emotionally naked human voice.

The album's other five songs provide a window on the elements of the group's aesthetic that could use a little refinement. "For Sheila Behman"'s insistent trombone part portends greatness, but it overstays its welcome. Other tracks feel negligible and tossed-off. "The Monk and the Bug", for instance, remains in neutral, refusing to budge from its barely audible vocals and arpeggiated melody line; it's an admirable attempt at Kid A-style atmospheric pop, but ultimately an unenthusiastic one. "All Your Water's Turned to Rope" quickly reminds us that this record is intended as a sideways Magic Band tribute, engaging in nonsense for nonsense's sake and bearing little of the other tracks' winning pop sensibility.

DIY charm can save an album, though, and it certainly does so with Blabber 'N' Smoke. Between the lovably dodgy recording quality and the hodgepodge of instruments (listen for the pots and pans), The Harvey Girls grin their way past serious criticisms and create an album that's just plain fun. Now, how 'bout some label attention?