KUTE is congested. It’s had one of those nose-and -throat things since, well…since its inception a few years ago. And it’s not just viscous snot clogging KUTE’s passages.

As a radio station, it’s also inundated with music, which has inexplicably gotten wedged into its gigantic collective schnoz.So KUTE has a plan: It’ll lighten its nasal load by “picking” a superb musical booger each week. Learn and love.

Jimmy’s Tower of power

Jim NoirTower Of LoveBarsuk Records, 2006Four out of five stars

British singer/songwriter Jim Noir’s catchy, sweet pop masterpieces make you tap your toe. Noir is like

a more strippeddown member of The Elephant Six Collective, opting for sparser arrangements instead of the monumental strings and bells of his more lavish counterparts in the collective.

But don’t be fooled-that doesn’t mean his music is simple or contrived – it’s grand in its small details.

Each song lends itself well to a stroll on the beach or a lark in

a meadow. For those who enjoy Footboy, you may have heard his song “Eanie Meany” on some of the adidas commercials that ran during the 2006 World Cup. This is music to lift the spirit.

Fans of any of the mid-’60s psychedelic bands (like The Monkees, The Turtles or The Lovin’ Spoonful) will fully appreciate Tower of Love. Contemporary bands that

have also turned to this sound for inspiration include Apples In Stereo and The Polyphonic Spree.

KUTE