The Treasury

The Treasury probably likes George Harrison quite a bit — and probably also listens to Revolver more than the other Beatles albums. But while these are unfair assumptions, they're not meant to be derogatory. The psychedelic pop crafted by these Asheville, North Carolina, gents borrows from the heavily textured, slightly drugged sound of late-era Fab Four — check out the John Lennon-style slap-back delay and nostalgic lyrics of "Memory Lane" — while also revisiting the late-'80s power-pop revivalism of Tears for Fears and Jellyfish, and Sloan's modern pop-rock. Heavy, swirling guitars and reverb-drenched organ give other songs on this year's Learning to Levitate a hint of later Britpop wooziness, adding mysterious dissonance that nicely complements the Treasury's bright, bouncy melodies.