Piebald

Listening to this fourth release from Boston-area rockers Piebald, it's sometimes hard to believe this is the exact same quartet that recorded the Sometimes Friends Fight EP seven years ago. Having almost entirely abandoned their post-punk, angst-rock roots, they now sounds more like the Foo Fighters than Fugazi. Not that that's an entirely bad thing. They actually play the straight-ahead rock band very well, but they also know how to mix things up as well. Under the guidance of legendary Beantown producer Paul Q. Kolderie, they infuse their punk-based fury with delicate acoustic guitar and piano fills and Beatles-like vocal harmonies on the radio-ready track "Fear and Loathing on Cape Cod." Think Goo Goo Dolls meets Guided By Voices.