Long ago in a galaxy far away, there was a Seattle band called Carissa's Wierd that played hushed, pretty, melancholic music they called "slow-core." They had some modest local renown and then drifted away.

Though they never found chart success, the band did prove extraordinarily fruitful at producing kick-ass descendants.

Singer Jen Ghetto went on to do a somewhat similar (whispery, quiet, though more electronica-tinged) solo project under the name S.

Drummer Sera Cahoone went on to become an alt-country solo artist (she released an album earlier this year).

Guitarist Ben Bridwell went on to form the much louder, more anthemic Band of Horses (see FMB).

And singer/guitarist Matt Brooke has now put together a new band called Grand Archives. Their self-titled album came out last month, and it's righteous.

In sharp contrast to Carissa's Wierd, Grand Archives plays sunny, exuberant, uptempo pop songs. It's so sunny, in fact, that it may overwhelm your sweet tooth. I happen to have a bottomless appetite for sunny pop music, but your mileage may vary.

This song is one of the sunniest of the bunch -- don't look directly at it! It's called "Miniature Birds."