Brakes

Brakes "The Beatific Visions” (Rough Trade/World's Fair)

Alternative

Few side projects and supergroups are worth time or attention — even successful multitaskers such as Ryan Adams occasionally stretch too thin. Brakes is that rare and beautiful exception: a side dish far more appetizing than the main course. Composed of key members of Electric Soft Parade and British Sea Power, two bands capable of both disarming beauty and unrelenting torpor, Brakes is all about fast fun.

The band's second batch of bash-and-twang punk, "The Beatific Visions,” makes a great case for quitting day jobs. Brakes breaks out the bluster with the jagged blues-rock of "Hold Me in the River” and the nervous, jangle-rocking "Margarita” before strapping boots on for the country-tinged "If I Should Die Tonight” and "Mobile Communication.” Then Brakes gets docile with the title track, a sweet, summery love song that sounds nothing like the raucous rocking around it.

In those rare moments of tranquillity, Brakes sounds like a different band — practically no commonality exists between the crazed buffoonery of "Porcupine or Pineapple” and the atmospheric disc closer, "No Return.” But even if "The Beatific Visions” lacks continuity, Brakes earns bonus points for delivering 11 great songs in less than 30 minutes, and never sounding like its having a laugh at listeners' expense.

— George Lang