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4. American Analog Set, Promise of Love (Tiger Style)
[play it on Rhapsody]

Restraint is the watchword of this Austin-based group. They play quiet indie rock scored for guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone, and keyboards (ususally farfisa organ). Promise of Love is somewhat poppier than AmAnSet’s earlier efforts, like 1997′s From Our Living Room To Yours (which I just got for Hanukkah, and which is also awesome). Pensive but always in motion, the songs on Promise of Love sow the oft-tilled ground of human relationships, from aching (though hooky) loss in “Come Home, Baby Julie, Come Home” to the slow, shimmering bleed of “You Own Me”. Listen to the drums, keyboards, and guitar lock in together while the vibes cast clouds of slow chords over them — it’s enough to soothe a broken heart, or to remind you what it’s like to lose, making possession the sweeter.