It's a progression of the many strange and lovely moods of pop-influenced indie--sometimes rocking, sometimes contemplative, sometimes a little spacey or nerdy—fused together like a puzzle that tumbles into alignment right out of the box.

Sometimes it's easier to bare your soul if you can dance to it. Take Lousy Robot. For three years, the Albuquerque band has specialized in letting it all hang out over a smooth modern pop-rock beat. Instead of the melancholic tones and drowning vocals of emo music or the grind of punk these guys make it all tasty and comfy to hear about lost loves and broken souls. The band lets its inside voice tap out a beat that could've come from '60s Top 40, almost like Phil Spector is running the show— with Ray Davies producing. "It all comes from the same kind of music," said Lousy Robot singer Jim Phillips. "It's catchy, noisy and we're both." The band was started by Phillips and Dandee Fleming as a side project three years ago and the pair hasn't been able to stop since. "We were working together, and I'd met Dandee, and I'd said I'd wanted to put a band together. I'd started this boat, and Dandee picked up an oar," Phillips said. "We just worked together very well. I said, 'We're going to do this once a month, have fun, and get some free drinks.' Every time we'd do that, we'd say, 'You know what we could do ...' There was no end in sight." The ideas kept flowing, he said. They both started sharing CDs and found both love the band The Deathray Davies and other indie-pop outfits that inspired the pair to work out songs that were both deep and fun. "We wanted nice catchy cool songs. We wanted to be catchy. That was our main interest," Phillips said. "Dandee said, 'Can you write catchy songs?' and it went from there." The band's first CD, "The Strange and True Story of Your Life," released last year, earned high marks locally for its catchy approach to deep issues. One of the band's heroes, John Dufilho of The Deathray Davies, helped produce it. "Smile Like You Are Somewhere Else," the band's new CD that will be released on Saturday, July 29, at the Atomic Cantina, continues with the same catchy pop. "When we finished the record ("The Strange and True Story of Your Life"), that was difficult to write, it was one of those things you wanted to just get out. When we did it, we started immediately on the second," Phillips said. "The last one was a pain." But this time, he said, the band worked on getting mixes right and spent months polishing it— and it worked, he feels. Now, the plan is to tour. Already, the band has dates lined up around the Southwest. But, Phillips is already about halfway done with songs for the band's next CD. "This one's going to be more experimental," he said.

BY MICHAEL HENNINGSEN Quintessentially pop and heavy on sing-along melodies, Lousy Robot bridges a gap on the local music scene with songs that are simple and simply gorgeous. Their unabated efforts to create a gently captivating canon of music is evidenced on the band’s Socyermom debut, Smile Like You Are Somewhere Else. Eleven songs capture roughly 30 minutes of sheer pop bliss — “It’s Getting to Me” and “A Way of Overstating,” a rare final track that forces the listener to immediately start the disc over, are among several highlights. The band here sound fully-formed, which is a feat far too few bands are able to accomplish even on their third and fourth releases. Smile Like You’re Somewhere Else manages to capture a moment while inspiring the desire for many more to come. Mellow and decidedly low-key, the record is also melodically jovial — a testament to the musicality of the band and the perseverance of its members’ desire to create pop that sounds neither contrived nor dated. lousyrobot.com