This debut album is a winner, enticing from start to finish. It's the kind that will draw you in further with repeated listens.

It's not Mussels' fault they're bound to draw comparisons to Cursive. After all, the frontman (unnamed on all press materials and the band's MySpace page, which doubles as its website) has a full and rich voice not unlike Cursive frontman Tim Kasher. The music's a bit off-kilter, too, swooning instrumental intros, with shifting time signatures, innovative instrumentation and idea-fueled lyrics.

This debut album is a winner, enticing from start to finish. It's the kind that will draw you in further with repeated listens, too, until you're pulling it up on your iPod over all your old favorites.

Opener "Don't Leave Your Coffee on the Bar" is laidback, with tinges of alt-country intermingling with the indie/dance rock. Up next is the awesomely named "I Would Have Met You for Dinner (But I'm Fuckin' Crazy), a straight-ahead, high-energy song with uplifting and appealing vocals. "Boat on Land" begins with what sounds to be a Hammond organ and calm voices in harmony before lifting off to become a more toe-tapping track.

Coming in at the halfway mark is the title track, more math-y and meandering yet still utterly captivating. "This is what it sounds like/ this is what it sounds like/ this is what it sounds like/ when the paint dries," goes the refrain, building, building before gently sloping. The vocals on "My Hands Your Heart" are rich and full-throated, with a soaring harmonic refrain and many instrumental stuttersteps.

"Everyone's Stealing My Ideas," a mellower yet still creative number, takes things down a level toward the end, before ending on a high note with "Thank You, Goodnight." This one's a find, and by getting into Mussels now, you'll be ahead of the curve. A | Laura Hamlett

RIYL: Cursive, So Many Dynamos, Rahim