Every few years we tire of British and American albums, opening windows for acts from elsewhere. This year we've had The Thrills from Ireland and Australia's The Sleepy Jackson. But instead of giving Britain and America new ways, both bands offer densely layered tributes to the pop powerhouses.

The Thrills concentrate on the 1970s sounds of California. Luke Steele - the frontman whose eccentricities have seen two other lineups flee The Sleepy Jackson - drags a wider net.

Lovers dedicates songs to genres, embellished with references to specific performers. Some of his rip-offs are played so well they may as well be samples. Steele is assured enough of his musicianship to open with the two most blatant poaches. Good Dancers is a eulogy to George Harrison's guitar. Vampire Racecourse lifts the punchy piano from the Velvet Underground's I'm Waiting For The Man.

Steele's thievery will leave punters worried that they don't get his irony, that they really should like this music. It also allows him to hide his more earnest efforts - in case they fail. 'I need you. It's true I never got no sun with you. Now there's acid in my heart,' he confesses before reverting to: 'I feel like cement. And the weighty tears ... only pronounce loud cries.'' The rest is a tasteful blend of punk and alt-country. But it's unlikely to enter the stereo much once this window closes.