Arlo

Los Angeles pot-rockers Arlo will have you know they got the title of their album from an e.e. cummings poem, not from any sort of dopey giggle session. Surprisingly intelligent and solid songwriting, fairly heavy riffs and a good, clear vocal delivery from Nate Greely, with Sean Spillane (ex-Otto), makes this a very good rock pop disc. Working in the same universe as Nirvana and Screaming Trees, and drawing heavily from the Pixies and Guided By Voices, Arlo remains fresh and fun, and not at all as bland or stale as so many of their college-crowd pleasing contemporaries. Solid production and engineering jobs gives this album a finished but not overly polished sound, thankfully preserving some authenticity to this fine record.