The GVSB swan song for Touch and Go. These hyper-cool indie rocks stars are prepped and ready to hit mega-stardom with that maker of teen idols, DGC. But that's next time around.

Honestly, you would figure that after three albums (two on Touch and Go), the guys would have played out the idea of two-note riffs and post-punk hipster dronings. But no, this third Touch and Go outing is as fresh as any. And thanks to Ted Nicely's punchy production, the sound positively booms out.

A point? Jesus, you folks have been on the ride this long and you want all this to mean something? Come on. Girls Against Boys is merely a conduit to that place in your brain called the pleasure center. Cranking this disc releases all those hormones and enzymes that instigate giddiness and laughter.

And, not to miss the obvious, GVSB propagate a wondrous sexual vibe. The current is strong, and I suggest you swim with it. One thing everyone should know is that getting in the way of this band only gets you killed. So you might as well hang on for the ride of your life.

The album track version, two other renditions of "New Power", and one take on a song called "Countergrowth" thrown in for good measure.

The Uberzone remix doesn't do much for the song except make it longer. It's alright, but unnecessary. On the other hand, the Amanda remix (by Amanda Jones) fucks with the beats nicely and adds a cool techno sheen to the proceedings. Classy work, and a nice new vision of the song.

"Countergrowth" zips through all sorts of electronic music ideas, finally settling on something that sounds like a distorted early New Order. A pretty cool song that is certainly good enough to have made it on the recent album or EP.

Two out of three ain't bad, and Hate Dept. always makes things interesting. Probably something just for the avid fans, but that fits me well.

The pedigree is pretty decent. Robb Williamson, once of My Name, on bass. Jade Devitt, once of Engine Kid, taking on the skins. Gary Westlake on guitar. And the songwriter (as well as singer and second guitarist) is Nylene Schmeichel.

All that's pretty irrelevant, though, once you hit the music. Schmeichel has a singing style not unlike Courtney Love (when Love isn't trying to sing), and there are a few early (pre-DGC) Hole moments to be had. Wails (vocal and guitar), screeches (same) and seriously apocalyptic themes. And, of course, Schmeichel appears nude in the liners and on the back of the jewel box. I'll bite.

Way too pretentious for its own good, Lucky Me still manages to pull off the near-impossible. These songs are oddly polished for a band that hadn't been together a year before this was recorded. And you can hear the chemistry. This band actually likes to play this stuff. It's infectious.

As I cycle through the disc, I keep waiting for a shitty song. It's only natural, and it happens to the best of folks. But I never found it. Yeah, Lucky Me is pretty idiosyncratic, and Schmeichel is one of those "love her/hate her" sort of performers. But if you get into the groove, you may not find your way out.

More of a re-introduction than anything else. The "Happy?" track from the album, a new track ("Strain of Frustration") and five live renditions of songs you heard on the awesome debut. Oh, and if you have one of those CD-ROM thingies (I don't), you can fuck with the disc that way, too.

"Strain" gives me yet another reason to be anxiously awaiting the new album. The seamless industrial metal construction is just as addictive as anything that came before. The live tracks are clean, with just enough noise to differentiate them from the studio versions.

The main reason to pick this up would be the CD-ROM stuff, and I can't review that. I love the band, and the stuff here is great, if a bit of a rehash. Bring out the album, boys!

Polished Brit pop that melds together many of the big U.K. trends of the past few years. A little My Bloody Valentine psychedelia, a little of that pure Blur pop, a little of the artsy messiness of the Fall (without the attitude, though, and that is a problem). And since a couple of the folks here have done stuff with Stereolab, I would be remiss in not noting that influence as well.

Cool stuff that overwhelms me with its lack of passion. I want to hear a sign of life from the band, and all I get is more production room magic. The sound is great, the ideas solid, the playing acceptable. But these three songs just do not give me enough space to really understand what is going on here.

I'll reserve full judgment until the album. What I hear here is a collection of good players who haven't the slightest feeling for the songs they perform. We'll see how a full set plays out.

Wall-O-Noise stuff from former Brainiac member Michelle Bodine, her brother Scott (once of Method), Rob Tarbell and Will Gale.

The press stuff makes a lot of noise about the sound of the band, and I don't understand. Of course, I dig that whole Midwestern Touch and Go kinda sound. Guitars amped way up, catchy vocals and a tight rhythm section. I mean, if that's not the formula for success, then what is?

Obvious devotees of Sonic Youth and Kiss (among other things), the members of O-Matic rip through 16 songs (with a bonus track) with aplomb and verve (I like those words; sue me). There is nothing complicated going on here; just cool music.

Which is a good slogan. At times O-Matic is not as tight as it should be, but those moments pass quickly, and the riffs keep a rollin'. Fun in a handy 5" disc.

The folks who remembered the original hardcore sound of Only Living Witness did not like Prone Mortal Form. The rest of us really grooved on the the thing. And now that a few years have passed, whatever buzz that album ceated has departed, and the band has to start over.

Innocents is a good way to begin again. Yes, it is still much more metal than hardcore, but not in that cheesy NYC way. Jonah Jenkins has a great voice, and he's not afraid to let it fly. The band helps out with fresh riffage and a nice tight feel.

Musical cliches do creep in from time to time ("Deed's Pride" is a particularly bad example), and apart from the acoustic touches, I don't hear a lot of growth from the band. For all the time between albums, there isn't a huge difference.

The good tunes are really good. Great, even. Rippers like "Some Will Never Know" show how to take the Sab idea and make it even cooler. If I were a radio guy, I'd be ecstatic. There's plenty here to rotate in and out for a long time. But the inconsistencies are maddening. Stringing more than a couple good songs together seems to be impossible. I can hear the band trying, and that's about the worst thing that could happen.

Some of the best songs I've heard this year are on this disc. Some of the worst reside here, too. Only Living Witness never does anything halfway.

Obviously monster fans of Jim O'Rourke, Creedle, Roger Miller and other wacko pop artists. Pitchblende takes all the elements of nice pop music, throws it in a blender and reassembles the goo. By hand.

The album was named after Gary Gygax, founder of TSR and inventor of Dungeons and Dragons (and lots of other games). I met him once. He was a truly odd individual. I liked him a lot.

Same goes for Pitchblende. The band's sense of sonic reality is breathtakingly beautiful. Yes, it often is a mess, but you have to listen past the instruments. Focus on the ideas, on the pureness of the sound. If you can get there, you will dig.

I could go through all sorts of theory to try and explain this music, but I don't think that would help a whole lot. Pitchblende must be heard to be believed. Bands like Pavement take this idea and dumb it down for the masses. This is the pure essence. Which is why only a select few will approve.

Another sampler thing. Century Media has collected some of the better tracks from its bands most recent output (songs I would have picked if I was in charge of that sort of thing). The main problem is that a good chunk of these bands aren't very good.

But no need to rehash old reviews. There are a few demos and stuff (I'll take another helping of Eyehategod, thankyouverymuch), but most of this is stuff I've heard before.

If you're curious, check it out. This does provide a good picture of the current Century Media line-up. One that I wish was a little stronger.

The first Wrens album, Silver, is one of the better pop albums of this decade. Big-ass shoes to fill, in other words.

And filled to the seams, I'm happy to report. The power pop streamofconsciousness musings I loved so much the first time are back in full force, with even fuller production.

The Wrens like to meander all over the place lyrically, and the music just simply flows along. You don't notice it, really, and then when it's done you think, "Damn, that was good." I don't think I've heard a band that has mastered this idea quite so well.

Superlative in every sense. Secaucus is a gorgeous work by a band that knows exactly what it is doing. Another one of the great all-time pop albums. Doing that twice in a row deserves serious recognition. So here it is.