They hail from Houston, but there’s nothing about Spain Colored Orange’s sound that will make you think of oilmen and longhorns; instead, their debut full-length effort, Sneaky Like a Villain, suggests a rainbow-colored collision between 10cc and late-period Tears for Fears, with perhaps a dash of Jellyfish thrown in. Pop fans, in other words, will find this album seriously addictive; from the moment you hear the bright, brassy overtones and sugary sweet melody of “Who Am I?” you’ll know you’re in for a treat. The set’s biggest flaw, really, is that the band isn’t content to stick with those sounds — Sneaky falters when it drifts into more ambitious territory, such as songs like “I Remember It Was Christmas Time,” whose compositional depth, though admirable, comes as something of an annoyance after the glorious melodic highs of songs like “Hide” and “Cheap Thrills.” Both sides of the band’s personality mesh perfectly, though, on “Uh Oh, Trouble,” a sprawling, vaguely “Tusk”-like epic that offers five minutes of twists and turns without forgetting the hooks. It’s clearly just an opening statement from the band, but it’s a strong one; by the time the record struts off your speakers with the kids’ chorus and trumpets that close out “The Birds and the Bees,” you’ll be ready to start it up all over again. (Shout It Out Loud 2009)
