MUSIC

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new ALBUMS

2Gether

2Gether (MTV)

"2Gether," which airs repeatedly on MTV all this week, is supposed to be an inspired spoof of bubblegum boy band pop--a rags to riches tale of five boys picked from the cowfields to become bonafide pop superstars. Whether the show itself portends the end of the Backstreet Boys, 'NSync, Boyzone etc. remains to be seen, but the soundtrack certainly lives up to all the hype. "2Gether," the opening track, sounds just like every opening track on a boy band album--the whole "We've Got it Going On" thing. Another day, another boy band, you might think--until you hear the hilarious lyrics. The second song, "U + Me = Us (Calculus)" is their not-so-subtle "I Want It That Way" and "Rub One Out," well, is their token masturbation piece ("Rub one out and I grab my crotch/Rub one out/Do you wanna watch?"). Also included are "Say It (Don't Spray It)" ("I want the news/Not the weather") and techno and karaoke versions of "U+Me" and "Rub One Out."

In the era of post-post-modernism, the people who are responsible for creating money-making trends are also the same people who create money-making spoofs of those same trends. You gotta hand it to the folks at MTV--they show no remorse in building them up and then tearing them down. B+ --Soman S. Chainani

M2M

Shades of Purple (Atlantic)

Beware another teenybopper pop hopeful. M2M, a Norwegian duo comprising 15- and 16-year-old Marion Raven and Marit Larsen, were featured on the Pokmon soundtrack alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and 98 Degrees. With the Spice Girls producer behind them in their debut English album, these two girls will feel right at home in the current youth craze. The songs are very girly and cutesy, with lyrics that would fit right into the poetry section of Teen magazine ("Pretty pretty boy I love you"). Out of the 13 songs in the album, approximately 13 sound like the same song, give or take a few notes and tempo markings. Though nowhere as skanky as their teen contemporaries, M2M's voices are far weaker or perhaps just mellow and undeveloped in that Hanson way. The thin instrumental backup does nothing to cover up their desperate lack of vocal and stylistic range. The one redeeming factor that might set them apart from the rest is that they play their own instruments. Perhaps they just need time to mature. Meanwhile, have a glass of water handy to wash down the saccharine. D+ --Susan Yeh

Pat Metheny

Trio 99-00 (Warner Bros)

Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny is in a unique position among musicians. This Boston native is one of the most virtuosic jazz performers alive today, and yet it seems as though he'd do much better at almost any other profession. He has a greater narrative sense than nearly every other musician on the market and his compositions can reach heights of lyricism unparalleled in contemporary jazz.

The poignancy of Metheny's unique, gentle style reached its height in Beyond the Missouri Sky, his 1997 collaboration with bassist Charlie Haden. After such a tour-de-force, Metheny's latest album, Trio 99-00, is something of a disappointment. Metheny seems compelled on track after track to exhibit the Pagannini side of his guitar talents, going off on elaborate licks and solos. It's impressive, no doubt, but Metheny's heart isn't there. He comes to life not in the elaborate showmanship of a piece like "(Go) Get It" but in the more contemplative tracks like "Travels" or "Just Like the Day." There are oceans of sorrow and hope in Metheny's tender musical treatment of the world. It's a shame he feels the need to lessen that tenderness by interspersing it with the technical know-how that so many other guitarists never move beyond. B --David D. Kornhaber

Various Artists

Brassic Beats USA (Skint)

Skint Records was once a tiny independent record label out of Brighton (the Brighton on the other side of the pond, not the one on the other side of the Charles) that released dance music that was too risky for big-brother label Loaded to put its name on. Then Skint signed Norman Cook, a.k.a. Fatboy Slim, and the rest is history. Nowadays Skint is the home of major big beat artists like the Low Fidelity All Stars, Hardknox and Cut La Roc, while Loaded is still mostly unheard of outside the English club circuit.

Brassic Beats USA is, as the name implies, Skint's attempt to introduce the US audience to some of its artists besides Fatboy and the Lo-Fi Allstars. While all of the music is excellent in its own right, those looking for another "Praise You" or "Rockafeller Skank" are advised to look elsewhere. Fatboy Slim himself does contribute a signature track and a Midfield General remix, but overall this is a more sparse, laid back sound. If big beat is your thing, though, Brassic Beats USA is definitely worth checking out. Of special note are Indian Ropeman's funky, sitar-infused "66 Meters" and Cut La Roc's airy, skillfully-mixed "Fallen." A- --Taylor R. Terry

Cheerleadr

Rock Album (Pep Rally)

Whether deliberate or no, the generic title of this Boston-based quartet's third album (recorded at Fort Apache studios here in Cambridge) reflects their music. None of the melding of musical styles so popular in modern rock occurs here: straight-up three-chord rock is the name of the game. When done well, as in the tight, focused first single, "Telescope," the standard guitar-bass-drum combination still retains the feel of energy unleashed. Singer Will Claflin also acquits himself well, with a hard-edged voice and decent enunciation, something all too often forgotten in the genre.

Unfortunately, there's only so many similar-sounding alternative/grunge songs one can take, and the album's 11 tracks begin to blend into one another. It doesn't help that the sound kept fading in and out on the review copy. Still, the band's obvious musicianship means it deserves more than the missing "E" in its name for a grade. B --Daryl Sng