The seemingly bottomless well of effervescent power-pop that Rainbow Quartz draws from so liberally is going to run out some day, but until then, it's a blast just sitting back and watching them crank out one great jangle-pop release after another. Their newest find is Barcelona-bred pop mavens The Gurus, whose luminous, coquettish brand of sixties-indebted guitar pop sounds like a fifty-minute love note to FM radio, breezy summer girls and Alex Chilton. The riffs and melodies of "Hark Work" and "Let's Have a Change" might all be second hand, but it's hard to fault the band for plundering them, especially when they're swiping pages from the likes of Matthew Sweet and The Zombies. "Kamala Part 1" sounds as though it was left off of Revolver by mistake, and damned if "Sleeping Girl" doesn't pilfer its chord progression and buoyant harmonies from "Mrs. Robinson". Though the self-titled disc is heavy on retro-radio-ready hits and sparkling flavor, it forces listeners to question exactly when loving homage becomes blatant plagiarism, and whether we too readily accept authenticity as a viable substitute for originality. After all, shouldn't even "pop for pop's sake" take a step into the unknown every once in a while?

Barcelona-based trio the Gurus strike a noisy compromise between muscled-up Revolver-era Beatles and latter day slacker psych-pop à la Oasis on this full-length debut. Principal vocalist Emili Ramirez even manages something akin to a British accent here and there, which ought to come as little surprise to anyone familiar with the Rainbow Quartz catalogue as a whole. Just when the band seems firmly anchored in retro Angloisms, though, the Gurus offer up a delightful surprise in the form of the disc’s closing track, “Gerdundula.” Distorted vocals and multiple backwards-tracked guitars are brilliantly layered like colourful Persian rugs over a relentless dance beat, while Bangra-ish melodies impart some sort of Moorish flavour to the mix. A few more numbers along similar lines would’ve made for a much more original sounding record, and one less likely to be lost among the madding crowd of veritable ’60s nostalgia acts.

This shimmering slice of psych-pop sounds more like The Byrds than R.E.M. or Teenage Fanclub ever did. In fact, I'll go out on a limb by saying I don't think I've ever heard a band so obviously influenced by another band in the history of the earth… or the universe for that matter. That being said, I quite enjoyed The Gurus eponymous effort for these very reasons. The guitars are allowed to chime wildly and the band is really able to capture that retro feel by keeping the production sharp but not too sharp. The vocals are kept pretty far back in the mix which allows the musicianship to really shine through. It definitely isn't the most innovative piece of work I've heard this year but if you're a sucker for a little jingle with your jangle like I am, you'd probably enjoy this. Key tracks to look for are "Kamala Part 1" and "Kamala Part 2", which I pray to God are in reference to that lumpy Ugandan headhunter-cum-bowler.

The Gurus are Spanish, which is remarkable. Spain isn't known for its rock 'n' roll. It's common that singing in English poses a problem for many non-English bands. The Gurus ignore the first just by being good and while their lyrics are rife with naivete they are no more awkward than the early efforts of their heroes. For this is a band that loves its '60s pop-rock and does a commendable job of recreating it. They might cross the line to Merseybeat on "It's Only Love" (not The Beatles' song) but you'll also hear early Kinks and The Who and they close with Status Quo's Gerdundula.

Emili Ramirez, Sergio Bartel and Joseph Pons make up The Gurus from Barcelona. Overflowing with power pop, Brit psychedelia and a dash of Mersey-beat, this first full-length album conjures up the Beatles, the Kinks and even Oasis. The Gurus don't exactly pretend to be cutting edge. Instead, much like the bands they derive from, they sound like a gem from some hipster's garage sale. If that warm, dreamy, pretend-every-day-is-sunny feel is needed in your collection, these 15 songs from The Gurus will fill the void.

The Gurus are a band cut from the retro-cloth of '60's British Pop and Pyschedelic Fuzz. After all they are on the Rainbow Quartz label (where else?) and they evoke the era perfectly. This is great music to listen to with the room lights off and the lava lamp on. This is also a big improvement over the last album that concentrated more on Sitar-styled melodies. The songs here are stronger and closer to the Minders in style. "Tears on the Wardrobe" is a great pop tune that bears deserves listening. And "Soup" would be very happy on any Olivia Tremor Control album. A big complaint here is the lack of songs -- really if you don't include the instrumental genre experiments, there are only six songs here. A cover of The Kink's "I Need You" completes the entire hippie picture here, but it could really use a more dramatic finale, much like Andrew Gold's great LP "The Fraternal Order of the All". Oh well, turn on that black light for your glow-in-the-dark posters

3 1/2 stars. The Gurus are a group from Barcelona who recorded The Swing of Things in 2005, though you wouldn`t guess it to listen to them -- The Swing of Things blends classic-era U.K. pop and psychedelia with such finesse that you`d be forgiven for thinking this was lost in the archives of some British label after being recorded in 1968. The Swing of Things starts with the potent one-two punch of the hard-psych workout "Flats and Jobs" and the glorious pop hooks of "Tears on the Wardrobe," and the Gurus follow through with an engaging fusion of smarts and energy through the rest of the disc. While the Gurus wear their retro tastes on their sleeves, they`re not slaves to a single musical approach; the occasional presence of reverse gear tape loops ("Load in Total Darkness"), vocoders ("Lito"), and wheezy vintage synthesizers ("Soup") suggest they`ve also been dipping their ears into vintage Krautrock, prog rock, or even some contemporary electronic stuff, and the disc closes with a cracking cover of the Kinks` "I Need You" that will satisfy garage mavens in the audience. The production (by the band) is both clean and full-bodied, and while the English-language lyrics are sometimes just a bit clunky, the harmonies and classic-era phrasings are dead-solid perfect, and the group`s musical instincts are glorious throughout. At just a shade over 30 minutes, one of The Swing of Things` few real flaws is that it could use another song or two, but it manages to convey a remarkably well-detailed musical world in a small space of time, and what`s here is thoroughly pleasurable. Extremely Highly Recommended!

2006 release! Outstanding Jangle Pop! The Gurus mix and match pure pop perfection, lysergic psychedelia, modern rock and ambient electronica. Swing Of Things has a prominent guitar crunch and swirling experimentalism. Think The Kinks meets Fripp and Eno. Rainbow Quartz dishes out the very best in jangle-pop, but The Gurus are at the head of a very fine, over-achieving class here. Fans of The Singles, The Gripweeds, Rockfour, Cotton Mather, The Gurus stand right alongside. This album is brimming over with Revolver-esque psychedelia, power-pop, pure guitar pop and jangle that evokes the aforementioned label-mates, at the same time brings to mind such a diverse mixture as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Little River Band and even, Oasis.