By: Liz Levine
Rating: 6/11

Mem liken their sound to both Coldplay and Radiohead, and boy howdy do the groups share some distinct similarities. Let this be a lesson to those who were wondering what happens when three NYU jazz students team with a few scene-seasoned musicians, all of whom seem to possess an overwhelming pop sensibility. The result is complex yet straightforward, with little treats for music nerds packed behind naked radio hits, like someone stole a tween’s ipod and mixed it with Animal Collective. They blend mysterious, open scapes and bits of psychedelia with insanely hooky guitar parts, and belt pop choruses that would make any boy band blush.

Singer Grayson Sanders might actually be Chris Martin. Or a member of Boyz II Men. He effortlessly carries the bouncy summer-hit moments, or bangs the keys with a mind tuned to his compositional training, even packing in a few surprises. On “I Just Can’t,” between a slammin’ classic rock guitar phrase, he embarks on a Thom York tribute, cooing like the Little Mermaid to alarmingly high notes. The zippy “Dip Me In” uses distortion and synth to craft an R&B school dance jam, a bouncy keyboard part introducing distant, echoy vocals that are so soothing they should have their own spread in Teen Beat. Mem uses their serious skills and training to make songs appropriate for college radio and top-40 alike.