Alert! Splendid’s musical Geiger counter has picked up a sizable reading from Oslo, Norway. A more detailed examination of these erratic scratches reveals that this isn’t the same sort of Scandinavian incident of guitar-infused rock that we’ve seen in the past. Our scientists have unearthed significant evidence to the contrary ­- this is some sort of perfect pop gem that’s been propelled out of the city’s innards.

After dispatching a field team with the necessary monitoring equipment (a 1985 Technics record player), we’ve discovered that the primary cause of this eruption is a 10″ record by The Ethnobabes. This female-led quintet has created seven sexy and deliciously catchy tunes, each of them small marvels in their own right. “The Odd Shopper” has a French-sounding vocal melody that provides a bit of exoticism while dishing out bubblegum hooks in the key of twee pop. “My Favourite Fool” bounces through jangling pop chords, intermittently dipping into a bag of noisy guitar riffs without ever lapsing in its efforts to sink its wonderful chorus into your long-term memory. You’ll almost feel guilty about listening to You Can’t Make Me; every song is that good and it’s a damn shame more people haven’t been turned on to this superbly talented band. Sure, you’ve heard pop music many times before, but the unforgettable choruses and short blasts of melodic beauty will keep this vinyl platter spinning on your player for hours after initial contact. Only personal testing will establish an opinion, so we suggest an immediate excursion to the local record “museum” to check this beauty out.

– Andrew Magilow