Imperial Teen: On

Imperial Teen began in 1994 as an outlet for Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum and Sister Double Happiness drummer Lynn Perko to express their affection for mock-cutesy, Unrest-meets-Pixies indie-rock. But their hobby quickly became more essential than their regular careers. After two major-label releases, Imperial Teen (which also features singer-guitarist Will Schwartz and bassist Jone Stebbings) is releasing its third album, On, through the independent imprint that helped originate the band's style of music. When a side project releases its third album, it's probably time to stop calling it a side project; the lingering question is whether the group is fully invested in its fizzy concoction of bubbly rhythms, slashing guitars, and misleadingly simple lyrics, or whether it sticks to the style because it's easy and fun. That question only matters when the group beats out songs as goofy as "Baby," with its minimalist structure and silly lines ("Shake shake / Go go / Take take / Slow slow"). "Baby" is fun, but the clipped, childish tone sounds like Imperial Teen replicating the wide-eyed primitivist sound of certain Japanese pop, with a slightly disturbing knowingness. That was always the rub with Unrest, too—that a group of musicians so smart and clever would try to sound like sugar-pumped preteens surrounded by a stack of discs from Factory Records and forgotten American girl groups. Still, when in doubt, follow the hooks. For every not-quite-there track like "Ivanka," "Million $ Man," "Undone," or "Mr. & Mrs.," more feature sublime melodies and textures resilient enough to make the adolescent yearnings of middle-aged rock vets genuinely moving. The band connects on and off throughout, with the breathlessness of "Sugar," the rippling "Captain," the herky-jerky "Our Time," the skiffle-y "City Song," and the supple technopop mood piece "My Spy." By the time On reaches its finale, it's stored up enough goodwill that it's more than possible to believe that there's an art to all this artlessness.