Quick, Before It Melts.

If Monday's pop is sugary and sticky, and Tuesday's pop is tangy and tart, then Wednesday's pop is must be smart and sophisticated (don't ask about Thursday and Friday's pop, I haven't though that far). Taste test today's menu, featuring New York-based brother and sister duo Blondfire. They used to be called Astaire, but the lawyers for some dead ballroom dancer got all in a huff about it, so they had to change their name.

What didn't change is their penchant for modern pop in the same vein of Saint Etienne, minus the electronic flourishes and dance-music influences. Erica and Bruce Driscoll hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and Brazil, and from the sounds of it, they spent many a summer on the sun-drenched beaches listening to the local music and drinking in the influences. As Astaire, the pair toured with Stars, Ivy, and Robbers on High Street, and were building quite a name and reputation for themselves.

Once the legal issues started, the band got on a roller coaster ride of music business bullshit, which ended when they were dropped by EMI UK in 2006, before they had completed their debut full-length. Why? Who knows, really. Blondfire seem like a sure thing to me: they were the first unsigned band to record an iTunes exclusive EP and reach the number one spot; they've been used in the soundtrack for movies and TV alike; they're great songwriters with a knack for catchy pop hooks., and they have the indie cred to become a major player. Doesn't make sense to me, but then, that's the music biz.

Look for Blondfire's self-produced LP, My Someday at iTunes now, and check out their aforementioned EP and an exclusive holiday EP available only at iTunes (to get you into the Christmas spirit a few months early).