There's a wind that blows as winter drifts into spring that makes everything beautiful. I had almost forgotten that it existed until this morning when I opened my window, and in rushed the subtle smell of early spring. As the sweetened wind permeated my room, everything around me seemed to get brighter, as if infused by some euphoric energy. And just when I thought that things couldn't get any more blissful, the harmonious sounds of the Essex Green's new EP first entered by head, each melody dancing around on my brain like an elated sprite.

The opening track, "Fabulous Day," begins with a beautifully understated acoustic guitar and flute motif. As mild vocals and subtle percussive elements enter the mix, the tune begins to take the form of a gorgeous, fully-realized pop song with a diverse but pleasing chord progression. "Chester" showcases singer/guitarist Sasha Bell's clear, almost child-like vocals, set against the backdrop of an ever-mutating but always riveting melodic structure. The song ends with a stark, beautiful keyboard part, replaying the original melodic theme. The final track, and one of the EP's standouts, "Bald," opens with an underwater congregation of backwards guitar, acoustic guitar, and wah'd-out electric guitar before warping into a Zombies-like groove, chock full of minor seconds and shrieking organs. Suddenly, the rhythm slows to double time, and the song shifts into blissful chorus. Then, seamlessly, the song shifts back to its original theme, and back into the chorus, before exploding into a divine sea of Hammond organ, drums, feedback, and reverb-laden acoustic guitar.

The music on this self-titled EP is deceptively simple. But while it'd be easy to write the Essex Green off as just another purveyor of "60's pop," the band packs so many beautiful melodies into each track, and complements these melodies with such impeccably chosen instrumentation, that to dismiss this band simply for sounding somewhat like other excellent bands from days of yore would be a damned shame. After all, the Essex Green don't limit themselves to sounds used by 60's groups. True, this record isn't groundbreaking. But it does what it's supposed to do with grace and originality. And months from now, when falls comes along, I'll be happy to have it with me as a reminder that spring will return again.

-Matt LeMay