Despite Howie Payne"s Liverpool pedigree, his band, The Stands, sound downright American. This debut recalls blue-jean-clad folk-rock declarations of The Byrds, Dylan, and Neil Young--or the contemporary reverb-drenched jangle of groups like My Morning Jacket or Beachwood Sparks. Noel Gallager of Oasis touts them as his favorite band and brought them to record in his mysterious Wheeler End studio. They"ve toured internationally with Jet, Paul Weller, Spiritualized, Gomez, Libertines, and others.