As a follow-up to the DIY "Spend Rock" blog, I thought it was high time to unleash the latest in modern music genre labeling: The phenomenon known as "chirp rock."

The definition of chirp rock? -- any sing-songy, non-threatening pop music that involves a female singer delivering a melodic vocal in a child-like, breathy, stylized or pleading manner. Think Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles (are they the same person?) or Leslie Feist. Accompaniment usually involves piano with drums or a simple guitar riff (or chord progression) with drums.

Likely places to encounter chirp rock? Shopping at Anthropologie (fer sher), on hold with the information desk at Borders, or in the background of ubiquitous television advertisements promoting lifestyle-enhancing electronic gadgets.

There are male chirp rockers too, but they are generally relegated to the realm of “shoe gazer.” Chirp rock is currently in popular use specifically in regard to the ladies.

Okay, it’s not in “popular use" at all. I came up with it a couple months ago. But, c’mon, it’s perfect. And there’s so much of it now that it needs its own handle.

While I wouldn’t call myself a “fan,” necessarily, I have stumbled across a few acts recently that, in my estimation, are elevating chirp to new heights – namely, Los Angeles/Portland-based boy/girl duo She & Him (singer/actress Zooey Deschanel and Portland mainstay M. Ward) and Los Angeles-based The Bird and the Bee (singer/bassist Inara George and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin).

In the case of She & Him, Deschanel’s voice is so classic-sounding that it borders on kitsch. Like Doris Day, she has a natural emotive power that permeates every nuance; beguiling and sentimental, but with plain-faced honesty and seemingly effortless charm -- not unlike Stone Poneys-era Linda Ronstadt. The songwriting shares this quality as well. Ward decorates Deschanel’s lyrics with the same simplicity as her message. The ideas, mostly idle ponderings on relationships, are uncomplicated by songwriter-ly formality. The duo’s debut, She & Him Volume One, is a welcome retreat from indie rock’s endless cleverfest.

The Bird and the Bee is another story altogether. Singer Inara George (daughter of much beloved Little Feat frontman Lowell George) also sounds like a throwback – but her style is more ‘60s jazz pop. Think Astrud Gilberto meets Lulu. Kurstin, an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist, is much more involved in the process than Ward. With elaborate arrangements that borrow equally from early Beach Boys, ‘60s Herbie Hancock and modern electropop, the songs are diverse and the melodies enchanting. “Polite Dance Song,” off the duo’s Please Clap Your Hands EP exemplifies these strengths. Though the pair clings firmly to a ‘60s aesthetic (right down to dressing the part), there definitely seems to be a lot more lurking under the surface.

Check it out. And, in the meantime, enjoy this clip of Zooey Deschanel crooning “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” from the holiday farce Elf. Major pipes, y'all.

And, remember kids, the genre-defining buzzword(s) for today is “chirp rock." Pass it on ...

Wendy Case is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Arts & Entertainment.