Artist KaiserCartel

Brooklyn’s Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel play friendly folk-pop with a dash of twee. How twee? They’ve been known to bring stuffed animals onstage. That may sound like a recipe for cloying disaster, but KaiserCartel keeps the emphasis on sweet, not saccharine, and Kaiser’s melodious voice in particular is worth the price of admission. The former elementary-school teachers play unassuming but lovely songs that show the influence of their old careers, accented with acoustic guitar, toy xylophones, and breezy vocal harmonies. Aqualung’s Matt Hales, who produced the duo's first two releases, returned behind the new Secret Transit, a full-length that was recorded in a Victorian-era London church and funded by contributions from fans.

Updated 06/07/2010