Arlo is a lo-fi power-pop quartet from Los Angeles, headed by singer guitarists Nate Greely and Sean Spillane. Their debut album, Up High In The Night (Subpop, 2001), shows an appreciation of the legacy of Pixies and Guided By Voices. The pop gem is Shutterbug, while the other songs try several variations on its model: heavier (Sittin' On The Aces), softer (Forgotten), garage-y (Nerf Bear Bonanza). But in the end the band offers a generic imitation of Kinks, Who and modern Brit-pop.

Stab The Unstoppable Hero (Subpop, 2002) delivers another load of sugary pop tunes. The loud and relentless charge is opened by Little American, which is followed by a cornucopia of melodic hooks (the slow and groovy Working Title, the sprightly rave-up of Runaround, the majestic ode of Stab the Unstoppable Hero, the country-tinged Bus Stop), peaking perhaps with that reproduction of the sunniest Hollies moments which is Too Sick To Tango. The Arlo can be not only catchy, but even obnoxiously catchy (Stoned and Linger On).