I'm delighted to be back with another review of a disc by the Scottish band Dropkick. The Taylor brothers, Andrew and Alastair, and crew have another winning effort with dot the i.

I last reviewed their 2005 release, Music to Watch Sheep By. This is their seventh full-length recording (plus one EP) on their own Taylored Records label. The Taylor brothers, who have been making music together since they were still in school in 1995, play multiple instruments, including most guitars, pedal steel, recorder and drums. On this outing, they're joined by Stuart Low on bass and Roy W. Taylor -- no relation -- on vocals and guitar. Their music is a punchy blend of pop-friendly rock and alt-country, with gorgeous layered vocals that reveal the Taylors' love of classic rock harmony vocals by the likes of The Byrds, the Beach Boys and The Beatles.

On this album, they range a little farther afield for some different sounds, like the Crazy Horse by way of Grateful Dead heavy, bluesy vibe of "Girlfriend," at 4:46 the longest track on the 12-cut album. "Walk Down" offers some heavy psychedelic rock with some cool pedal steel accents, and the power-pop of "Rings of the Tree," about a confused guy trying to make sense of a relationship in terms of things he sees in nature, has a Wilco-like vibe. "Back Door Key" sounds a little like late-period Tommy James and the Shondells, with big power chords and laconic vocals that call to mind Uncle Tupelo.

But most of all, this is sunny pop music about sad love. "You" is a typical example, with some unexpected chord changes; "Figure It Out" is about a guy who "tries to sell his soul on eBay" but the Devil isn't interested -- the brothers sing it in their dry tenor voices over jangly guitars. The opening title track has some fuzzy guitars and more of those Beach Boys harmonies about a girl who needs to think of herself occasionally. If the Beach Boys love hasn't yet come through, the final track, one of my favorites, is titled "Good Vibes."

Dropkick has taken the best features of British Invasion-era pop, added plenty of twang, and made it their own. dot the i is great fun!