Glen Phillips & Grant-Lee Phillips

Glen Phillips and Grant-Lee Phillips aren't related, but they're of the same era and songwriterly pedigree. Glen is best-known as the sandy-voiced frontman for Toad the Wet Sprocket, which made it big in the early '90s with soft-rock hits such as "Walk on the Ocean." Grant-Lee had more critical accolades than commercial success with his stormier band, Grant Lee Buffalo. Each of the California boys has a folky new solo album that sounds more timeless than their bands' work. And yes, they will sing together, too.JON BREAM

Sometimes you just need to be held. But if squeezing your sweetie isn't an option, a Joshua Radin record should do the trick. The onetime major label singer-songwriter's latest, "Underwater," serves as a soundtrack to bench-swing hand-holding, with acoustic warmth as cozy as an afternoon cuddle. Don't worry, compliant boyfriends: It's not that bad. A Fine Frenzy (aka Alison Sudol) takes a similarly folk-scrubbed tack with deeper results. The lit-loving singer's new album "Pines" is a slow-developing serenade from the Virgin-inked Seattleite. On the superficial front, the Radin-Sudol combo could be the most attractive pop-folk double bill of all time.MICHAEL RIETMULDER