The Guggenheim Grotto, a trio based out of Dublin, recently released their first full-length album in the United States. The album, titled ... Waltzing Alone, is a 12-song album made up primarily of love songs, but not in the traditional sense. The lyrics cover all aspects of love and relationships and are as intelligent and intriguing as the instrumentation itself.

The band, composed of Kevin May, Mick Lynch and Shane Power, is a folksy/pop trio that combines beautiful vocal harmonies with classic and contemporary instruments. May and Lynch have been a duo since 2003 when they played the same circuit as Damien Rice, with whom they share a similar, relaxed sound.

The Guggenheim Grotto's sound is a mixture of mellow rock, folk, pop and instrumentation. May, Lynch and Power are all skilled at playing multiple instruments. The Internet-radio Web site Pandora, launched by the Music Genome Project, compares the Guggenheim Grotto's sound with the music of Lorenzo Goetz, Shed Seven and Jeff Lang. The trio lists as their ultimate inspiration the music and lyrics of Leonard Cohen, a singer and songwriter from Canada.

Personally, on the first track, "Philosophia," I hear an intro that reminds me somehow of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." May, the primary songwriter of the group, is also influenced by classic literature when writing lyrics and music.

... Waltzing Alone was recorded over a six-month period and is packaged in a unique red leather binding and accompanied by a 28-page booklet that includes song lyrics. Within weeks of its release in Ireland, the album's third track, "Told You So," climbed to No. 12 on the Irish national airplay charts. In 2006, as an increasing number of college radio stations picked up the album, the group began their first official U.S. tour. The album even landed on iTunes' Hot List.

Nic Harcourt, the music director for the influential Los Angeles radio station KCRW, called ... Waltzing Alone one of the most beautiful records of the year, and beautiful is a perfect word to describe the album. The instrumentation and harmonies are mellow enough that the album is perfect background music for doing homework or just milling around the room, yet it is intriguing enough to make you actually listen to the lyrics and attempt to understand your own life and relationships. If that's not enough of a reason to like them, Guggenheim Grotto have also been featured on popular ABC shows like Brothers and Sisters and Six Degrees.

Guggenheim Grotto's songs are based on love, yet they explore all aspects of the subject. In the liner notes of the album, May had this to say about love's dominant role in the album: "The reason love is the greatest theme is that when you're in a relationship, your senses are so heightened; you're lifted out of the banal; you notice more and you see more details. I think that it's within that idea of a relationship that you learn a lot more about yourself because it's far more dramatic (than normal life) - that's why I write love songs."

The album's influences are varied and intriguing: track eight, "A Lifetime is Heat," is a tribute to idol Leonard Cohen, while track 10, "Vertigo," is inspired by Marvin Gaye. My favorite track is the folksy, country track six called "I Think I Love You" which talks about new, budding love: "And for the most part I agree / only fools wear heart on sleeve / oh but girl, the way you make me feel / I wanna say it, hell I wanna scream."

To hear their innovative sound for yourself, catch their show on Monday, Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. at Mercy Lounge.