At a time when many major-label bands are trying to pad one or two catchy songs into an album, Yuma House is blessed with a power-pop bounty. This local quartet doesn't have a singular style or unexpected outlook, but its songwriting amd arranging are remarkably consistent. There's not a dull track on the band's self-titled album. Winningly brisk and tuneful, these 11 songs approach the perennial subject of young romance with an open heart and a generous supply of offbeat tropes. Singer-guitarist Don Brasek sounds equally comfortable spinning the extended metaphors of "Audiophile" ("If I were a paperback/Would you ever put me down?") or making the direct plea of "Annmarie" ("Let's go to the city/Let's go to the museums/Let's go to dinner/And who knows what/We'll find"). Brasek and his bandmates--all of whom harmonize and and share writing credits--demonstrate that lively songs about girls are an endlessly renewable resource.

---

With three years of performing live shows behind them, the timing seems right for the debut full-length from Yuma House. This DC-area foursome has seemingly mastered the pop genre, with a nice mix of power, quirk, and noise pop, driven by a keen sense of catchy melodies no matter what the style. At times they remind me a lot of Bee Stung Lips with the simplistic, sometimes odd approach on songs such as "Tara," "Annemarie" and "Lower Providence." The comparisons move over to Greenberry Woods on the power pop songs like "Sister Station," a nice one with a little keyboard thrown into the mix. The guitars get a bigger role in the noisier pop ala Foo Fighters or Emote on "Out Of My Hands," a perfect track fro modern radio, and "Track 6, Track 7," which borrows a familiar guitar opener from U2. When they choose to, Yuma House can kick with the best of them, but this one is more of the melodic pop variety, heavy on flowing melodies, catchy hooks, and well written verses destined to get into your head. A debut deserving attention, and hopefully not the last we hear from this group.

---

Rundown On The Band: This marks Yuma House's second demo since forming back in July of 1994, and what a fine noisy, pop nugget it is! Yuma House write catchy pop/rock songs that center around relationships gone bad or to hear bassist Eric Chang tell it, "Most of the songs are about discomfort." And while the broad, overall theme may not break new ground, Yuma House manage to put a fresh spin on their sound. The collective members of Yuma House have always wanted to be in bands, and this love and enthusiasm for what they do extends to their music. And according to some of the press about these guys, their "let's keep it fun" attitude extends to their live show, where they've been known to throw in a cover song from the likes of The Lemonheads, The Replacements or even The Monkees. Engineer/producer Mike Harvey (emmet swimming, Mother May I, etc.) captured the band's sound wonderfully; so wonderful, in fact, that I find myself reaching for this demo with an annoying frequency. File Between: The Connells, SDR, Pavement, Superchunk