The Shermans, who put a modern Swedish twist on "Brill Building Pop", were my least favorite band on the great Sounds of Young Sweden compilation. They didn't stick out on March's Moshi Moshi compilation either. If I could explain why, I would, but it's downright baffling for me to comprehend right now. On the 27 minutes they sing In Technicolor, there's not a moment where I don't find some remnant of their great pop instincts. These ten songs, entirely lacking in padding, are melodically driven by the work of the wonderful multi-instrumentalist Mikael Matsson (formerly of Red Sleeping Beauty) and the lovely vocals of Ingela Karlsson, who's even able to inject real feeling into ready-made visions of morning joy -- birds in the air, the sun on its way, etc. One listen to her and you accept the band's vision, entering a world where you've already been lifted into the air by the giddiness of pop music and the headiness of love and heartache.

Though Mikael can't seem to find any sad keys on his piano, the juxtaposition this brings to lyrically downbeat songs (like "Dumbhead") works wonderfully, highlighting the perk that the best pop music gives us: it allows us to look sadness in the face and think only of dancing. The Shermans' mix of the emotional highs and lows is not deeply personal ("I'd be a fool to fall in love/Do you want to see his picture?"), and might well be a matter of them imitating records they love, but these songs work. Unlike the Nancy Sinatra School of Cool, they always project feeling, as if their lyrical trifles really do matter and it's never just a matter of being "breezy".

There's one great attribute of the Nancy Sinatra School that In Technicolor doesn't abandon: the band's overall sense of style. The CD insert shows Ingela with sewing material and a number of vintage dresses, and it's done so nicely that these images remain in your mind as you listen. hile this might not seem relevant to the music, it helps to extend the band's packaged "image" beyond their recorded performance. The same adage applies to the new pop stars as it did to the media-savvy Bananarama: every little bit helps, and the more images a song brings, the better. The Shermans have brought us, In Technicolor, all the melodies, glamour and emotion that our remaining summer days yearn for. I dance away my bad moods and am grateful.