Sparrow

Sparrow’s aptly titled “The Early Years” is a tuneful throwback to naive pop from decades ago, when production values were iffy by today’s standards, though charm was more abundant.

Independent pop hasn’t found the sturdy foothold currently enjoyed by indie rock, but lively acts like Sparrow could make a difference: The band from Vancouver, Canada, gleefully goes retro on “The Early Years” with psychedelic and New Wave flourishes.

Frontman Jason Zumpano’s nasal vocals tend to grate and drone, but he compensates with heartfelt delivery and, as a songwriter, with catchy melodies. Additional singer Lucy Brain creates dynamic harmonies with her more conventionally pleasing voice.

Zumpano also drives the instrumentation on “The Early Years,” pounding away on piano, Rhodes and farfisa. He hammers his keyboards relentlessly, supported by an eclectic mix from guitarist/trumpeter Rob Calder, bass player Shane Nelken, violinist Kim Koch, drummer Josh Lindstrom and cellist Megan Bradfield.

Opening cut “Flower” follows Calder’s trumpet line into a carnival romp of a song that might fit well in a 1970s British pop opera. But the title track - with its quirky synths, urgent rhythm and vocal crescendos - is the star of “The Early Years.”

Yet nowhere on the album does the spirit fade. Sparrow flies through the buoyant infection of “This Is How It’s Done,” the frolicking “ah ah ahs” of “Late Last Night” and the scruffy “All Two by Two” that folds a sawing-strings break into the raucous beat. And Sparrow still has energy to spare on closing cut “I’m Just Not There,” where each instrument has a moment of flurry.

“The Early Years” is an unquestionably humble entry into the super-glossy world of modern pop, and that’s just what makes Sparrow soar.