Southern California-based indie folk outfit Avi Buffalo (a spin on the name of chief songwriter, Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg) had the fortunate pleasure of signing with Sub Pop Records when its members were just barely out of high school. It's not difficult to see what the popular label saw in the band, however, as the Long Beach duo creates sparkling folk tunes that can hold up with the best of its contemporaries. Comparisons to the acoustic-based indie rock of groups such as The Shins and The Fruit Bats are practically inevitable, but Avi Buffalo brings enough to the table to avoid claims of complete derivation. Zahner-Isenberg is a creative songwriter whose hooks are catchy but rarely glaringly obvious or heavy-handed, which, coupled with the high-pitched, unique timbre of his voice, adds up to a strong combination of charm and fun, breezy pop.