It’s true: sometimes we need substitutes for our musical heroes. As a onetime Elephant 6 fanatic, I have no choice but to count the years since Black Foliage and Airplane Over the Sea have rocked the indie rock world. The Apples in Stereo seem more content to play music for little kids and commercials. Guided by Voices may now fool Rolling Stone reviewers, but many of us who were around to experience Bee Thousand have given up. My onetime Pavement worship has turned into a casual, passing interest in Steve Malkmus and something about some Preston School or other. It’s sad, but I guess that’s part of growing up. I’m not condemning these bands -- in fact they’re still head and shoulders above most of what’s going on -- but there’s always that obscure band just waiting to get you excited about indie rock again. The Moore Brothers are a perfect example.

While not necessarily the "next big thing", these two brothers from California, Thom and Greg, know how to craft a damn fine pop song. Reminding me of the Barnes brothers (of Of Montreal), the pair seem to have formed a perfectly symbiotic working relationship. In fact, the writing credits alternate between brothers, giving us a nice balance of both these songwriting talents. Greg’s songs are more epically whimsical and psychedelic, and his Art Garfunkelian voice and gorgeous vocal harmonies make a Simon and Garfunkel reference unavoidable. Thom’s voice is a bit more decorative and sharp, but seems to have a greater range and control, and his songs are akin to Bee Thousand/Alien Lanes-era Guided by Voices. With their talents combined in total harmony, the brothers and their rhythm section create a surreal playground of sound that is both fun and emotional.

Colossal Small starts out strong, and doesn’t stop its escalation until about halfway through. The opener, "Harry Lion", and the title track, both written by Greg, are mystical, airy folk tunes that wander about in fantastical forests; they hold a depth of sincerity and imagination I rarely find in new music. "Colossal Small" features a solo acoustic guitar and harmonious vocals with peacefully twisted lyrics like "I had a vision of something colossal small/ The wisest of all/ In a hallow tree/ What was my name Mr. Owl?/ I’ll be stretched and maybe smiling/ In your very fine home in the forest." Perhaps the album's most emotional song is Thom’s "Moleslica". Consisting of nothing but a solo voice and piano, it starts out sounding like a ballad of lost love; then Thom sings about "breaking loose the Moleslica." Weird. This is the closest to true soul singing that any Californian indie kid has ever come. Thom’s "The Outsiders" is a mysterious tale of a secret society of two, which jumps into a hilarious '60s mod stomp. The album closes perfectly with the acoustic "We’re 25", which reminds me of Robert Pollard’s more nostalgic moments.

While the disc's second half isn’t packed with overtly classic moments, every song has at least one hook that melts you, making the album devoid of "skip-over" tracks.

Now I’m looking at the cover art, which shows the two brothers as young boys, dressed up as Batman and Robin, and I’m thinking that it was obvious that my never-ending quest for new heroes should take a pit stop here. These guys were heroes from the beginning.