In Brief

* * * Jale, “Dreamcake,” Sub Pop. This young female foursome from Halifax, Canada, fits neither the harsh L7-Bikini Kill grrrl-group nor the winsome Frente-Velocity Girl molds, but stakes out its own territory with elements of both. Playful, confident guitar-pop and intelligent, melodic and at times understated writing make for a promising debut. New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).