Andy Whitaker and Michael Reed have been swirling around the British music scene for more than a day. Whitaker is also spent 21 years playing PC Mike Swirling on "Emmerdale", which might be why he's pictured as the Black & White Detective on the album cover. After running into each other on a different musical project, they discovered that they lived on the same street. Like, actually, the same piece of pavement.

Andy Whitaker & Michael Reed The Black & White Detective and The Technicoloured Cowboy (self-released)

So that's weird. But that sense of serendipity is what drives this album, which is a 13-track exploration of the wilds of Britpop. There's folky psychedelia, psychedelic psychedelia, gorgeous pop blooms, steady rockers and more. On the whole, this album adheres to more of a Sgt. Pepper's vibe than Revolver, and at times it sounds like a strange British echo of the dBs or Go-Betweens.

In the end, this is just two veterans dabbling. And it's really charming. These songs roll off so comfortably that it's hard to imagine these guys haven't been working together for ages. Or maybe they've just been in the same musical pool and have soaked up all the same vibes.

Whichever, whatever . . . doesn't really matter. This is a grand album that is impossibly easy. By keeping the tone adventurous, Reed and Whitaker have unlocked a glorious set of songs that resonate far longer than their length. What fun!

Jon Worley