Additional personnel: Eric Valentine (guitar, piano, keyboards, programming); Ari Gorman (cello); Michael Urbano (drums).

Recorded at Toast Studios, Skywalker Ranch and H.O.S., California.

Personnel: Stephan Jenkins (vocals, guitar); Kevin Cadogan (guitar); Brad Hargreaves (drums).

This San Francisco band's first album is a study in contradictions, presenting heavy, often melancholy, themes in the guise of catchy, tuneful power pop. The irresistible single "Semi-Charmed Life" is just one example of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins' agile lyrical stylings. The delirious tempo aptly reflects both a high feeling and a sense of desperation, of things spinning out of control.

The album is chock full of searching lyrics set against a background of lush, rhythmic music. "How's It Going To Be" has a palpable sense of nostalgia and loss. The funky "I Want You" expresses a yearning for connection: "Children love to sing but then their voices/Slowly fade away/People always take a step away/From what is true/That's why I like you around/I want you."