There was a time in the mid-1990s when emotional, girl-fronted, guitar-pop bands with names like K’s Choice, Joydrop, and Magnapop were guaranteed success on the alt-rock circuit. Those days are long-gone (save for maybe a band like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), but thankfully we have a band like the Baton Rouge quintet We Landed on the Moon! to carry on the tradition. The production is perfect for the sound, with Jonathan Kolich’s distorted but chiming guitar crackling loudly over John Lambremont’s soaring keyboards and steady bass and drums. Indie rock records rarely, if ever, sound thisgood. But the real gem here is lovely lead vocalist Melissa Eccles, whose voice covers an incredible range throughout the CD. Her fearless approach, cooing and then growling as needed, reminds me of ’90s singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham or Chrissie Hynde with a sweeter disposition. The band and Eccles excel at the midtempo alternative sound, especially on the perfectly nuanced “Before the Lights Come Up,” but prove later in the record that they can rock with the best of them. The faster rockers like the bullhorn-laden “Head Shot” and “Indian Song” are raucous fun, but they would have sounded much better spread out evenly throughout the record. Here they are more or less lumped together near the end of the CD. Still, what We Landed on the Moon! sometimes lacks in energy it more than makes up for in expert songcraft and spirited performances. These elements come together to make a stellar debut.