Aden are easily among the best indie-pop bands around, thanks largely to Jeff Gramm's voice. Gramm sounds similar to Holiday's Josh Gennett, and can even bring a tinge of melancholy to lyrics like "2,3,5,9 everyday/okay,okay". Credit also Kevin Barker's stellar guitar work, which this time around provides the backbone for melodies a little looser and jazzier than previous efforts. For the first time, I guess Aden's music reminds me of labelmates True Love Always.

As for the songs, they are all appealing, and more than a little quirky. "Pimlico" is reminiscent of Unrest's unique choice of subject matter; it's got one of pop music's funnier first lines ("Take 3 to place"), and though the song is using horse races as a metaphor, the near-falsetto chorus, which sounds similar to "Two Tickets to Paradise", is quite inspired, helping to assert Aden's position among the more clever acts in the indiepop world.

Listen to track three, "Country Bar in the City" ("This place is good for two/It's good for drinks and a game of 42") to find another of the disc's winners. I don't know what kind of game 42 is -- perhaps it's a rhyming piece of nothing, or perhaps it's something to do with cow pool stuff -- but I think that Aden's lyrical obliqueness is a strength, not a flaw. Like John Ashberry's poems, the sound seems more important here than the literal meaning, and it's Aden's sound that drives home Hey 19!'s worth and makes it a disc you'll play when you want to relax with a drink, or a loved one, or both. This is for indie poppers what Kenny G is for idiots; music guaranteed to put you in a nice, reflective mode, yet not one which makes you wonder how Jeff's love life might be. You end up reflecting on yourself and your own life, which is a nice break for all those Field Mice fans still rooting for Bobby and Annemari to get back together.

In an earlier review, I compared Death Cab for Cutie to Aden, then went on to give a very muted "thumbs up" to that Seattle band. There is a big difference between Aden and the cabbies from Seattle. Where Death Cab bring part of their geography's sound into their mix, Aden brings partof their DC label Teenbeat's sound. Aden has songs that almost always end with you wanting more, and melodies which are accessible, yet complicated enough to make them interesting. Those are the same qualities that have made all of (Teenbeat owner) Mark Robinson's own efforts eminently enjoyable, and qualities that are simply good for pop.

Lastly, Aden have more knack for pretty folk ballads ("Some Odd Relief") and driving pop ("Dear John") than any "A" band in existence. A-ha fans, take note.