THE SHAKES

Together with their various cohorts, Pete Gilabert (Stool Pigeons) and Janet Housden (Redd Kross / Superkools / Excessories) have spent the last eight years sidestepping insipid music trends and wading through L.A.s fickle club scene to create a stunning body of original work steeped in the finest tradition of classic songwriting. Like the cartoon cover that adorns their debut disc, the Shakes wallow in a kaleidoscopic world of pure pop pleasure, from the piano-laden baroque beauty of "Apartment Song" and the strangled jazz noir groove of "Plastic Promise," to the fab faux Saturday morning comic book beat of "Knee Highs Theme" and the guitar-fueled power pop crunch of "Shining On You," "Got A Date" and "Something Bitter Comes." Not-so-innocent boy-girl harmonies, swirling '60s organ fills, and hook-heavy riffs round out this exuberant collection. Get into it before you get left out.