Ferocious Mopes

When Say Hi to Your Mom released his brilliantly titled third disc, Ferocious Mopes, the sensitive-indie-guy-recording-from-his-bedroom thing had been done to death. So had well-intentioned tinkerings with the Omaha sound of Conor Oberst. Nevertheless, what Say Hi offers here is just froot loops enough to skirt cliché charges. The ten song titles say it all -- after puzzling over "Poor Pete Is a Bit Self Conscious," "As Smart as Geek Is Chic Right Now," and "I Think I'll Be a Good Ghost," it's easy to wonder whether Say Hi might be using music to pay the bills until he finds a way to make money off his real gift for naming things. Indulging that thought, though, puts a listener at risk of being overly dismissive of the music, which is overall quite good. Morrissey's dark mood colors the entire outing (fitting for a disc called Ferocious Mopes), but shades of Death Cab for Cutie's smart pop filter through, and so does Conor Oberst's sing-softly-into-a-tin-can sound. Tracks especially worthy of the repeat button are "The Twenty-Second Century" for its imaginative, hooky pop; "The Forest Scares the Hell out of Me" for its skill at channeling Blair Witch-type spooks with a guitar; and "Dimensions and Verticals" for the way it distills the recurring theme of its creator's insecurity. "Draw me with your pencils and pens," Say Hi sings. "Make me much prettier than I really am."