Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Having only heard one song from their 2005 self-titled debut and a welcomingly-altered cover of Beyonce’s “Crazy  In Love,” I did not know quite what to expect from The Magic Numbers. The two pairs of brothers and sisters that make up the group have been making their brand of heavily harmonized rock for the past five years and still remain just under the radar of most of the general public. While their latest album Those the Brokes probably won’t suddenly throw them into serious radio rotation, it’s an infectious amalgam of indie pop/rock songs that beg to be listened to again and again.

A title like Those the Brokes implies resignation to whatever fate has befallen you. Fortunately, The Magic Numbers opt to market their resignation with a positive tack.  More than anything, the album is brimming with love songs - songs about beginning love, ending love, love in doubt and any other nuances in between.  The similarity in subject matter for each track doesn’t limit the record, however, because each song has it’s own distinct feel whether it be the pensive sadness of Slow Down (The Way It Goes) or the lullaby lilt of Take Me Or Leave Me.

That distinction stems partially from the old school harmonies of singers/sibings  Romeo and Michele Stodart, but mainly from the instrumentation the band chooses for each song.  On lead guitar, Romeo knows just the right method (be it rapid Fleetwood Mac-esque strumming  or  jam band finger-work) to use in order to affect the proper emotion. Add sufficiently subdued drumming and the occasional violin and it makes for an album of agreeable melodies that never grate on the nerves.

Although all of Those the Brokes merits a listen, there are a handful of must-hear tracks. The breezy pleading of Boy (punctuated by the whimsy of a 20 second waltz interlude) inevitably stays stuck in your mind days after hearing it. The sunny pop sensibility and lounge flourishes of Undecided Love make for the perfect contrast to the desperation in Michele’s voice when she implores “am I not the one you want?” The answer, for lovers of smooth vocals and memorable melodies, is a definite yes.