Kevin Bronson on July 10th, 2012

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Saint Motel’s debut album “Voyeur” (out today) is refreshing for what it is not – soul-deadeningly adherent to a currently fashionable genre, or overly mindful of whom some effete reviewer might name-check as musical antecedents. In a way that recalls the early recordings by the Format, “Voyeur” frolics and cavorts, winking knowingly at all the styles it touches: big band and Latin music, piano pop and classic rock. If their six-song, six-video EP “ForPlay” made you wonder what the young quartet would eventually sound like, “Voyeur” won’t solve the riddle. But in its complex arrangements, giddy melodies and playful subject matter (see: “Daydream / Wetdream / Nightmare”), you’ll find the same surprisingly good theater you get with their live show. Which, these days, is rare.

||| Live: Saint Motel plays the El Rey Theatre on Saturday, supported by Princeton and Chasing Kings.

||| Stream: After the jump, the full album stream of “Voyeur”: