Pacific Mean Time’s debut album finds the Portland band picking up where their former indie power pop project, Little Beirut, left off. The band’s knack for warm, catchy melodies remains intact, but their new incarnation boasts a lusher, more organic sound, even with electronic additives. Inspired by the somber freak pop of Sparklehorse and the sound of ’90s college radio, the band’s self-titled debut teeters between folksy church hymns and bass-heavy jams. From the haunting sing-along of “Straight Shot (Towards the Sun)” to the banjo-laden dance number “Minutes to Midnight,” Pacific Mean Time is a diverse, sonically tight record, intensely versatile and vibrant enough to restore faith in the waning indie-pop genre. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.