Stornoway

Sat., Dec. 4, 9 p.m., $12, with Franz Nicolay, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

[ indie pop ]

From the studied quaintness of their moniker — taken from a town in Scotland's Outer Hebrides — to the vague Celtic inflections and gorgeously rich choirboy harmonies which dot their gently pastoral folk-pop, these fresh-faced Oxonians fit right into a proud tradition of charming, quirky, tender-hearted, rather bookish, unabashedly British-y Brits. Beachcomber's Windowsill (4AD), their marvelously inviting debut, echoes any number of undersung indie-pop heroes — the quiet majesty of The Delgados; the warmth of the Lucksmiths; the melodic grace of (their avowed idols) Teenage Fanclub; Belle & Sebastian's wry literary bent — and feels destined for a similarly limited but passionate cult audience.

Sat., Dec. 4, 9 p.m., $12, with Franz Nicolay, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.