The Delgados

This Scottish quartet has always had a problem getting its due in the States. Although the Delgados' members collectively founded the Chemikal Underground label, which launched the careers of Arab Strap, Bis and Mogwai, the group has lurked in the shadows of its better-known neighbors for most of the last decade. Fortunately, the breakthrough success of the 2000 masterwork The Great Eastern opened inroads into American audiences even as it broadened the band's regard in Britain. It's not hard to hear why: The disc inflated edgy indie rock with gusts of orchestral majesty, augmented by the studio wizardry of Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann. After 2002's haunting, bittersweet Hate, the group's latest effort, Universal Audio, is a return to the jarring, crystalline pop of the Delgados' early years -- a sound informed by such legendary predecessors as the Vaselines and the Pastels, not to mention the Beach Boys and the more guitar-heavy end of New Order.