The Oranges Band’s second LP, The World & Everything In It, is a variety pack of indie-rock charms. Lead singer Roman Kuebler sounds like a more mellifluous version of the Shins’ James Mercer, and even affects British inflections like Mercer does (though the Oranges are from Baltimore and the Shins are from Albuquerque--not exactly the Isle of Wight).

Roman Kuebler, along with drummer Dave Voyles, guitarist Daniel Black, and bassist Tim Johnson create pretty, straightforward indie pop that sounds a bit like the work of a different James--the one with no surname. Catchy numbers like “Ride the Nuclear Wave” come off somewhat like James’ one U.S. hit, “Laid,” but with lyrics that give an impression of depth: “When the sharks speak / Look past the sharp teeth / There truth and it cannot hide / Listen to the fish inside,” Kuebler sings.

The slower numbers, again, sound like an east-coast version of the Shins, particularly “Mountain,” with its spare guitar work and generous vocal harmonies. But these Baltimore boys have a sound that is unique and often un-Shins-like, and they are definitely hometown favorites: Baltimore’s City Paper named guitarist Dan Black the city’s “Best Band Member” for “looking all serious with his entire head and body vibrating ecstatically like he’s got a school of eels wriggling around his underwear.”

If you’d like to see good ol’ eel-pants and the rest of the crew, the Oranges Band is coming to a city near you with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. For more info on the Oranges Band tour dates, check out: lookoutrecords.com