DIVINYLS--LESS DESPERATE

“WHAT A LIFE!” Divinyls. Chrysalis. The second album by this intriguing, extremely promising Australian band underscores the problem of mandatory warning stickers in rock. There’s nothing the Moral Watchdogs could quite put their finger on in the lyrics of such colorfully titled songs as “Guillotine Day” and “Pleasure and Pain.” But there does seem to be something vaguely unsettling--maybe even perverse--in Christina Amphlett’s sometimes growling, frequently seductive vocals.

“I saw your face/Then I kissed you. . ./In a very nice place” is an innocent enough line from “Sleeping Beauty,” a song about a romantic fantasy. Or is it innocent? Amphlett’s sly, carefully phrased delivery adds a teasing, or even--as the Moral Watchdogs might say-- naughty ring.

In their 1983 debut album, the Divinyls were at their best when they were leading us on a walk on the weird side. The LP’s title, “Desperate,” reinforced the nervous anxiety of the music. The quintet was even more commanding live, as Amphlett darted around the stage with the manic, unexpected twists, turns and yelps of a woman battling against strange inner forces.

In this long-delayed follow-up, the band doesn’t sound as desperate; some of the magic and mystery of the first album have been sacrificed for more accessible, mainstream rock radio textures. The lyrics--about the pleasures and pains of romance and the rock life style--could also use a stronger focus. They sometimes approach social realism, but frequently just recycle familiar phrases.

Still, there is plenty to endorse as the band moves from melodic hard rock reminiscent of a choice Aerosmith or Joan Jett track to more thoughtful expressions that recall Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. Even on the weakest songs, the band’s arrangements are nicely centered and Amphlett’s vocals assert personality and passion. If the group can capture the intensity of the stage show on a video, things could happen quickly.