A few months ago, upon hearing "Zombies," the first single off Radiation City's new album, a friend of mine compared it to Pink Martini. That's unfair, but not totally inaccurate. Like the big-money swing-pop orchestra, Rad City's indie exotica exudes a certain lavishness. Animals in the Median, the quintet's first album since becoming the talk of Portland last year, conjures images of retro-futurist bachelor pads in its kitschy synths, poolside tiki parties in its bossa-nova swing, and concert-hall luxury boxes in its cinematic strings. Under the well-manicured accoutrements, however, is superb pop craft: swooping melodies, lush choruses and the indispensable voice of singer Elisabeth Ellison, who alternates between resembling a sprightly Victoria Legrand ("Foreign Bodies") and Portishead ice queen Beth Gibbons come unfrozen ("Wash of Noise"). It's a reminder why Radiation City is the only Portland band you and your mom can agree on—and why that shouldn't be interpreted as a slight.

SEE IT: Radiation City plays Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., with Social Studies and XDS, on Friday, June 28. 8 pm. $13 advance, $15 day of show. All ages.