Umbrellas

St. Louis native Scott Windsor doesn't look like a rock star. He looks more like your best friend's cousin, maybe, or that nice guy in your Econ 201 class who's always willing to share his notes. But in the context of his indie-pop band, Umbrellas, Windsor is absolutely magnetic. His beautiful voice is the group's biggest selling point — as it was in his previous band, the Lyndsay Diaries — but the deliciously retro, dance-y melodies are also a treat. Like similar acts Death Cab for Cutie and Dashboard Confessional, Umbrellas puts cinematic strings and hiccupy synths to good use; the band's latest full-length release, Illuminaire, is 35 minutes of pop pleasure. And while Windsor sometimes reaches into the Sexist Rocker Grab Bag and pulls out a particularly d'oh-inducing lyric ("I can't trust a girl who does the buying"? Seriously, dude?), for the most part his songs are sweet and self-effacing. And oh, that voice.