The Perishers

Mope-rock bands sprouted like mushrooms in the wake of Coldplay's global success, though few captured the genuine spirit of Chris Martin's earnest emoting and lyrical romanticism. The Perishers are certainly among the exceptions, a band that details the darker recesses of the brain without letting melancholy overwhelm. Credit this to experience -- Morning is the Swedish group's third album (but the first to be released in the United States) -- and to its deft storytelling device. "Weekends" deals with the disconnection of Monday-morning commuters longing for the distant weekend; the music perfectly captures the post-Sunday comedown, and vocalist Ola Kluft's downtrodden delivery evokes the resignation of the 9-to-5er's fate. The O.C. favorite "Trouble Sleeping" succeeds as well, using minor chords and chiming-bell riffs to convey the restlessness of a lover plagued by the memory of a lost mate. The rest of the album's sonics channel the glossy folk of Kings of Convenience and, yes, the shimmering melodies of Coldplay's mellower moments, but the Perishers are worthy successors to the latter's melancholic throne, not simply royal bystanders.