One for the Team

The tightly wound sugar-pop confections turned out by the Minneapolis quintet One for the Team are simply irresistible. Like countless indie-pop ensembles, the band takes facile acoustic numbers and dresses them up with jangly guitar arrangements and a backdrop of lush synths and fuzzy bass guitar. But the songs on One for the Team's 2008 album, Build It Up, stand out because of unison boy/girl lead vocals, which are executed with precision and energetic spirit by primary songwriter Ian Anderson and his female counterpart Grace Fiddler. "Dress Up Party" is an airy, smooth-swaying number that recalls the quirky bounce of the Rentals (but with less irony) with a bolstering hook that soars but never peaks too soon. Up retains this energy without becoming monotonous or contrived — and it doesn't skimp on substance: Its twelve songs say a lot about the confusing surreality of whirlwind relationships.