Now that McCarren Park looks like it’s finally re-opening the pool this summer, we should all start thinking of its soundtrack, and Strange Shapes might be a good place to start. The power pop group are practically engineered for board shorts and sunglasses, keeping their pop numbers simple and clean, and sounding all the warmer for it. Especially ‘Moment Kept Arriving’ from their first EP, where light keyboards and open string guitars provide the perfect breeze to lift up singer Ezra Tenenbaum’s floating vocals. Get your spring started right, and see the band when they play this Friday with Banned Books at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge. – Mike Levine