Headlights

Whether they admit it or not, today's indie-rockers owe a lot to '60s radio poppers. Immediate hooks, sweet/sensitive singing, and lean song construction (make your point in three minutes or less) are hallmarks of both eras' greatest hits. But what separates nostalgia from inspiration is how the new kids apply these traits. Headlights' translucent harmonies recall the Hollies, Searchers, and way too many '60s girl groups to list. You can even hear Phil Spector's Wall of Sound in the Illinois trio's layered instrumental chimes. But these are the mere raw materials Headlights works with. The band assembles all of them into sleek, cyclic song structures, built around guitars that clang as much as they twang. And that's something that never goes out of style.