A trio of multi-instrumentalists who all take turns with vocals, budding New Yorkers the Spring Standards get creative here, putting two EPs with distinct sounds together into one release. Having already released two independent discs and embarked on plenty of tours, these humble youngsters have been building interest from garage shows and small stages since 2008.

The first seven tracks, a set called Yellow, are the more hushed selections, all containing warm melodies, gentle keys, and an overall hazy, breezy and playful folk vibe. “Heavy Home,” at the beginning of the disc, lays the groundwork with dual-gender vocals that work together so fluidly it becomes very apparent the members of this outfit are perfectly in sync with one another. “So Simple So True” ends this portion of the disc, a fragile ballad that is primarily based around Heather Robb’s calming voice, and is sparsely beautiful in its sadness. The songs on Yellow bring to mind Bright Eyes in both style and wordplay; there is a lot of introspection, disappointment and melancholy, all delivered in a timeless, youthful fashion.

The Gold half here is immediately evident with “Nightmare,” an upbeat, piano-driven rocker with handclaps that could rival Wilco’s brightest moments, and from there they go from reckless campfire-esque folk rock to echoes of the quieter moments of mid-’90s alt rock. The energy on this portion is uncontained -- the soundtrack to an urban excursion, a night of good times with lifelong friends.

An excellent display of the trio’s skill, the first part of this reminds me of what Whiskeytown might sound like today on Prozac, while the second half wouldn’t be out of place emanating from the basement of a rock club. The Spring Standards do an excellent job of meshing folk, indie, Americana, pop and rock into one adventurous, charming and imaginative listen. It’s pretty clear these guys and girl spent a lot of time creating these songs and it shows -- this is top notch in every aspect.

Rating: A

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