The School

There's plenty of sugary twee-pop out there, and then there's Welsh eightsome The School, whose utter trifle of a sophomore album, Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything (Elefant) is so achingly sweet that you'll probably want to brush your teeth in between listens. These cheery, impeccably coiffed charmers, not a one longer than three minutes, have every handclap and horn chart, harmony and heartbreak perfectly in place, and Liz Hunt's limpid, cupcake-frosting vocals could out-lollipop even Lesley Gore. But they never feel studied, just a tad bookish, even if they're cribbing their lessons directly from the girl-group greats. —K. Ross Hoffman