**1/2 Seely

JULIE ONLY

(Too Pure/American)

Just as Throwing Muses were once the token American act on England's 4AD label, Atlanta's Seely have the honor of being the first US outfit signed to the prestigious British indie Too Pure -- the label best known on these shores for helping to launch PJ Harvey and Stereolab. Like the Muses of a decade ago, Seely really do sound more in tune with the British pop underground than its American counterpart. And except for one track on Julie Only, "Crystal Clara," where bassist Joy Waters seems to be impersonating PJ Harvey, it's a comfortable fit.

Working with Chicago producer John McEntire, who manned the board on half of Stereolab's Emperor Tomato Ketchup last year, Seely blend post-Velvets strum-and-drone guitars with monochromatic dream-pop vocals and an occasional dose of vintage electronica from one of McEntire's analog synths. God knows what Waters and guitarist Steven Satterfield are singing about in the warm, undulating wash of "Meteor Shower" or "Exploring the Planets" -- and who really cares? Seely, like Stereolab, are more interested in generating hypnotic patterns out of simple, intersecting, organically textured melodies than in conveying literal meaning.

-- Matt Ashare

(Seely play upstairs at the Middle East this Sunday, January 19, with Lumber, 33 Slade, and Baxter.)