Spymob - Sitting Around Keeping Score (2004)

Minnesota's Spymob have been branded a funk band, based
solely on their contribution to the re-recording of
N.E.R.D.'s In Search Of... (the version released in the U.S.
in 2002, not the drum-machine-driven version released in
parts of Europe and Asia in 2001). To the surprise of those
who don't know the band's past beyond that, entailing a 1996
album released on a small independent, it turns out that they
have a lot more in common with Fountains of Wayne, Ben Folds
Five, and forgotten hopefuls Blinker the Star than anyone
remotely funky -- with Todd Rundgren and Jellyfish being
clear points of influence. Sitting Around Keeping Score is
accomplished modern-day power pop, heavy on melody and tight
in structure. They're one of those bands that's so full of
energy that even the ballads come off as relentlessly peppy.
The only clear problem they have is in the way that they're
perceived: N.E.R.D. fans who are attentive enough to give the
band a chance might get the last thing expected, and the
people who are more likely to be into the band have already
dismissed them for their associations. That's shame because
they deserve better than that.