The Uglysuit, The Uglysuit

Do you believe in magic? I'm not sure I do, either. But listening to the Uglysuit, six friends in their early 20s from Oklahoma City, you might start to believe in flying penguins, soaring seaships, clouds beneath your feet and happy yellow rainbows. The Uglysuit's self-titled album is that pretty, and that powerful. The music draws its inspiration from '60s psychedelia, '70s art rock, ageless fairytales, children's stories and Steven Spielberg's films (the short instrumental "Elliot Travels" is mood music for E.T. 26 years later). "Brownblue's Passing" kicks the set off, a hunk of gorgeousness Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks might have left off Smile. The rapturous harmonies on "Chicago" make that city seem like a shimmering Shangri-la, while "Everyone Now Has A Smile" suggests a satisfying collaboration between Donovan and the Moody Blues, alternating density and lightness with such agility that you can hardly hear the effort that went into it. Implausible as it seems, the potency and skill of that song and "Happy Yellow Rainbow," with their resonating melodies, random-seeming chord changes, daring tempo shifts and monster guitar and piano excursions, will wipe the smirk off your face and have you believing, as the Uglysuit does, in the power of music to set you free.