(A&M 548989)

Jack Drag submit their major label, Dope Box, in the form of a special blend of trip-hop rock that they have been perfecting for the last four years. Now on A&M Records the mystic trio has a bit more cash to experiment with their trademark swirling noise collage. Like sirloin versus steak-um, the present sound is much fuller than anything they have released to date, however this doesn't necessarily mean they have made their best record to date.

The first two releases, Pop Spelled Backwards and Unisex Headweave, on the now-defunct Chapel Hill-based Scrimshaw label, were nothing less than low budget perfection.

This was simple music. A bedroom, four-track, and self-loathing helped create a cult following in their Massachusetts home and beyond. Armed with some of the catchiest tunes to cross the aural reservoir, songwriter John Dragonetti cranks out the fuzz with the tinted ardor of a perplexed troubadour.

Crafting circular songs that spiral with intensity only to eventually dwindle into that special part of the brain, Jack Drag have always had a keen appreciation for psychedelic effects. Dope Box is a more profound examination, but lacks the hooks that made earlier songs so endearing. In fact, two songs ("Surfing the Charles" and the title track, "Dope Box") are previously released retreads.

To be fair, these refurbished versions are more complex and interesting in their own right, but unfortunately they're also the best tracks on the new album. "Seem So Tired" and "Best Friend" have potential but there are a handful of tracks that are throwaway to say the least. Although Jack Drag is extremely talented, and Dope Box is a noble effort, it merely wets the appetite for future pop deconstruction.

--- Bret Booth