The Aluminum Group: Plano

As the band's name may imply, The Aluminum Group offers a return to the deceptively recyclable pop that once filled AM radio. But the band, led by brothers Frank and John Navin, clearly also worships such contemporary synth-pop whizzes as The Magnetic Fields, Pet Shop Boys, and Momus, like-minded musicians who similarly mine lightweight pop music for inspiration. Produced by Pulsars' Dave Trumfio, Plano is a slick foray into Muzak territory, technoid lounge music that leaves the listener vacillating between faith and incredulity. But the audio cheese and camp would be harder to take if the songs weren't so damned catchy. Songs like "Boy In Love" (with its "Macho Man" chorus and subtle allusions to bondage), "Steam" ("maybe I'll just swallow anything"), and "Storytime" ("we could both come out at your cotillion and be vilified") do pile on the references to homosexuality, as does the gender-hopping first-person. But, as on Pet Shop Boys' Very, the gay subtext just adds emotional depth to the songs. Besides, the real star of Plano is the music, which sounds as if it came out of some little black band-in-a-box already perfectly formed, arranged, and ready to go. It just doesn't get much smoother than this.