One Touch

Less sculpted than , not as gaudy as , and, if you can believe it, far more of an awkward, provocative outfit than just about any logical peer, the didn't so much usher in the suffused post-millennium market for myopic as give it a much-needed kiss of nubile . Clearly 16-year-olds , , and have been weaned on and records, taking from them their feminist assurance and passion, but they remind us of a valuable lesson -- if you're going to hew melodious, structurally accessible songs out of cold , it really helps to use actual feeling and sincerity, and hang on to every shaky personal trait that got you there in the first place. From the Reebok Matterhorn-rumble of to the petal-plucking cheval glass of and on to the nocturnal, string-doused -wonderland-with-trenchant- -middle-bit that's the jitters of youth are here though tempered by shrewd ambition and a clever and unpredictable production aesthetic. As alarmingly undeveloped LPs go, is everything a post- debut should be -- discreet, adolescent, and as unstudied as a late-night phone call about boys. ~ Dean Carlson