"Don't judge a book by its cover" was my elementary school librarian's mantra. In the case of Hutch and Kathy's self-titled debut, it's entirely appropriate. The album's black and white cover features (presumably) Hutch and Kathy, sandwiched between a couple of vintage microphones and the windows of a cramped house. With their striped sweaters and greasy hair, they look like the kind of people you'd see floating around the sidewalks of any liberal arts college town; indeed, there are many such people in the duo's home town, Portland, Oregon.

That said, they pull it off. Recorded at said cramped house, Hutch and Kathy, originally intended as the next Urban Legends album, uses the basics of the indie pop canon -- lots of acoustic guitars, brushed drums, and harmonica and organ as needed. Hutch Harris crafts pieces with enough diversity within chord progressions, rhythms and song structures that such a limited palette works to his advantage -- much more detail would probably muddy the simple tunes. Kathy Foster's harmonies sweeten Harris's nasal Northwestern twang, with lyrics that depict everything from the picturesque ocean nights you'd expect an Oregon native to write about to the wrongs of Manifest Destiny.

The album kicks off with the tape recorder scratch of "I Made You a Song", then bursts into the stomping optimism of "In Brilliance". Despite indie-pop's abundance of love songs, lyrics like "I've got a telescope / and with it comes the hope / that I can stare into your sky / until your star burns my eyes," make Hutch a frontrunner for the sensitive-guy-in-a-sweater award, which is already a packed race.

"On the Way to Work" is a rare weak song; its chorus includes the throwaway line, "Lather, rinse, repeat", delivered in a wishy-washy tone that borders on some of the Elephant 6's uglier moments -- but a meandering organ line, which could also have been stolen from the E6, is charming enough to redeem it. Songs like "Through the Day" and "Half There Tears" build a melancholic mood, while "My Unborn Beautiful" shines with unbridled enthusiasm.

You're either a fan of this kind of folk-pop or you're not -- but if candy cane harmonies, lo-fi production values and frantic strumming start your feet tapping, then Hutch and Kathy deliver in spades. Kids, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover -- but you might want to have a peek inside to make sure.