The Rosebuds - "Woods"

When not making soft-rock jams with Gayngs, Ivan Howard is one half of North Carolina duo The Rosebuds with Kelly Crisp. The pair, once married but now split, have been releasing albums together since their 2003 debut The Rosebuds Make Out. Their 2005 song "Blue Bird" happens to be one of my all-time favorite tracks: a cooingly soft and meditative bit of pop that feels akin to dipping your ankles into a cool stream of water on a hot summer day. I can't say I've been quite as affected by The Rosebuds since—that is until hearing the band's newest record, Loud Planes Fly Low. Take the intoxicating acoustic track "Go Ahead" with its shimmering wordless chorus and emotive organ; the electric piano-led, sensual, slow dance "Second Bird of Paradise," which takes a few cues from Gayngs; and perhaps most compelling, the grand, explosive, and rollicking single "Woods." Married, split, whatever—Howard and Crisp know how to make music together, and here, they are in top form pulling at all the right pop heartstrings.

Buy the Loud Planes Fly Low now from Merge Records.

The Rosebuds - "Woods" (from Loud Planes Fly Low)

Watch a video trailer for the album after the jump.