{image1}"Wabi sabi" is a Japanese term that means having the ability to see beauty in all things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, like the delicacy of a broken teacup or the rustic-ness of unfinished oak floors.

Michael Snider and Meaghan Owens -- an acoustic duo which writes in a variety of languages including Japanese -- understand this concept. After all, they named their band Beautiful Pollution.

"It (Beautiful Pollution) is like a beautiful sunset with colors created by light filtering the air pollution, a flower growing through the cracks of a dirty city alley or an old rusty Studebaker lying on its side in a junkyard with an oak tree growing through the middle of it," says Snider.

The bandmates are committed to complex, poetic lyrics, however, they have penchants for simple-yet-striking imagery as well. Their songs are easy and gentle -- the kind you can listen to over and over and not burn out on quickly.

Owens and Snider both play guitar, and Owens also sings. Owens' voice is sweet and strong, like a lilac bush or a brandy old fashion. Sometimes she sounds like Mary Ramsey from John and Mary (and later Natalie Merchant's replacement in the 10,000 Maniacs), but the similarity is fleeting and probably compounded by the fact Ramsey sometimes sang in French.

Overall Beautiful Pollution's commitment to foreign language, fresh lyrics and well-strummed guitars create an unmatched sound that's as clean and pure as a Northwoods' sky. Their please-feed-me-more four song demo opens with a song sang in Swedish -- Owens is fluent in the language--called "Hem." A Russian and a Japanese tune will appear on their forthcoming CD.

"I started singing in Swedish so Michael couldn't understand me until I was ready for him to hear the lyrics. This ridiculous shyness on my part worked so well, that we kept it in Swedish," says Owens, 25.

The couple -- who are not married but romantically linked -- work together musically in a similar spirit as The Innocence Mission's Karen and Don Peris. They live together and create acoustic melodies in a process that is deeply personal, intertwining poetry and music for a sound that is both joyful and melancholy.

"It is extremely rewarding to do something so fulfilling together, but it definitely has a roller coaster quality because inevitably you're going to disagree on a creative decision," says Snider.

The two recently moved to Milwaukee from Bayfield, Wis., a town of 611 people where they wrote music, recorded and performed in places like Nuttymeg's in Duluth, the White Winter Winery in Iron River, Ella's on Madeleine Island in Lake Superior, and in the Hayward area, where Snider grew up.

"The Northwoods is connected in so many ways as one big community," says Owens. "In a sense, the whole Northwoods was our music community and the musicians up there work really hard to help each other out since gigs can be few and far between."

Living on Milwaukee's East Side is a major lifestyle change, but the duo has acclimated comfortably. Both secured jobs; Owens as a community educator in Waukesha and Snider as an arborist. They will soon release a CD, but already booked shows thanks to their promising demo.

"Our goals are to finish our album, play gigs, have fun, meet other awesome musicians, eventually tour, and get signed to an independent label," says Snider.

Yes, there is beauty in a band plan.

Beautiful Pollution will play at Art Bar in Riverwest on Tuesday, Sept. 21.