Davey von Bohlen will kill you with kindness, if you let him. As the vocalist and guitarist of Maritime, his earnest disposition tugs on tender adulthood affections, and thankfully, he does it without being trite. He brings drummer Dan Didier, a former Promise Ring bandmate, and ex-Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric Axelson along for the ride. Maritime’s glossy guitar pop on We, the Vehicles outshines everything the bandmates did in their previous rock and roll lives. Sarcasm and sweetness are evenly matched throughout the disc, especially on the smirky “Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts.” Maritime delivers some of the most fantastic pop songs that indie rock has seen in 2006. (Eat your hearts out, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!) Chicago’s own Bound Stems and the Rails are also on the bill.

This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2006.