One eskimO

An acoustic guitar riff that reminds me of the Mamas and the Papas' California Dreaming. Then, in comes a softly throbbing bass, rhythmic drums and tambourine and horns--and finally, a clear, high male voice. The song builds slowly, circling, rising, then slipping away.

It's One eskimO, a British four-piece band, playing Amazing, a song that is aptly named. Or listen to Kandi, a deceptively simple piece that starts out with a reverb-laced chord worthy of an Everly Brothers song and lopes along for four delicious minutes afterwards.

The bassist, Jamie Sefton, plays a fretless bass guitar--and sometimes horns too--simultaneously. That a first. It certainly isn't the last I'll hear from this unique quartet.