Five Gears in Reverse have come a long way from their humble beginnings as a coffeeshop folk-pop band in Bellingham, Washington. They've since moved to the big city (Seattle, of course), and thankfully, strayed from the folky sound that marked their early efforts. These days, they're a straight-up, no nonsense indie-pop outfit of the wide-eyed and winsome variety. (Look, that's what it is. If those adjectives make you cringe, you can probably stop reading... here.)

Comprised of core singer/ songwriters Paul Beaudry and Terry Picknell, drummer Jeff Warden, and Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla (who's been temporarily filling in for a bassist that hasn't been recruited yet), Five Gears in Reverse never stray too far from their straightforward pop recipe. Of course, they do mine most possible variations on this theme, from the head-bobbing rockouts of "Magnetic Bicycle Craft" and "Intermission Haloes" to the stretched-out, slowed-down, almost anthemic "Spinning Ellipses" and "Comets."

In general, Five Gears in Reverse aren't drastically different from their indie-pop contemporaries-- they're at their best when they stick to the more uptempo numbers. On occasion, the band handles ballads with dignity and grace, especially on the closer "Out in Space," on which Beaudry laments, "You might move all the way to Texas where I couldn't see you/ I cannot commute that far..." It sounds kind of silly on paper, I know, but in the interplanetary context of the song, it's pretty affecting. However, several songs on You're Not Asking the Right Questions suffer from a tendency toward cloying cuteness. This is most evident on Beaudry's "Conduit" and Picknell's "Eyesight," both of which will test the patience of any but the most dedicated cuddle-pop devotee.

At other times, a disturbing reluctancy to quit while they're ahead rears its head. For example, "Copious Sighs" repeats the refrain, "This is your second chance to love" for about two minutes too long. Similar gaffes are repeated throughout the album. Advice: become acquainted with that old studio standby, the fade-out.

Beaudry and Picknell are, for the most part, imaginative enough songwriters to keep the proceedings interesting. Beaudry's jaunty piano-led number "Olivia" examines a relationship through the filter of (of all things) Olivia Newton-John in "Grease," while Picknell's "Intermission Haloes" laments the difficulties of meeting someone at a rock show: "Wish that you would see me/ During Sleater-Kinney/ But when I turned to say hello/ I knew that it could never be."

In the end, Five Gears in Reverse have all the ingredients to become an ace pop quartet. When they learn to turn down the sappiness a notch (and hire a permanent bassist), they'll be even closer. On the other hand, the fact that they've gotten this much of the equation right on their debut album is encouraging.

-Jeremy Schneyer