The Accent’s on Bowie : All the Madmen “Teenage American Style” (no label) ** 1/2

There’s no truth to the rumor that this band from South County settled for “Teenage American Style” as an album title only because the pithier “Young Americans” already had been taken. But, more than on two previous cassette releases, this band named after a David Bowie song lets its taste for early-’70s Bowie dominate.

Together six years, All the Madmen have the talent and cohesiveness to make everything sound hunky-dory. The instrumental lineup is strong, with some graceful playing on ballads and fiery, assured charging through rockers such as “EBA (I Can’t Sleep),” a punk-fueled burner that is one of the few stylistic zags along the Ziggy path.

Glen Meredith is an extremely capable singer; his stringy, theatrical vibrato will turn off any listener who can’t stomach a Bowie homage, but Meredith can switch to a meatier, raspy rock delivery.

Though ATM is improving with each release, the songs still are not consistently as memorable as they need to be. The regret-filled title track stands out with its alternate glimpses of people who survive through friendships, and others who succumb to despair. “Quarter Roy,” the acerbically humorous tale of a hellish night out, launches the album with good, glam-rock swagger.

In between, All the Madmen should have cut the 15 tracks down to their best 11 or 12, keeping highlights such as “Me,” which carries the album’s thematic core of connection versus alienation, and omitting filler such as the droning, ironically titled mood piece “Sweet Georgia Brown.”

The problem with sounding so much like a famous forebear is that the songwriting has to be nearly as memorable for the exercise to be rewarding in its own right. All the Madmen aren’t there yet, but this CD marks good progress.

(Available from All the Madmen, 24922 Muirlands, Suite 27, Lake Forest, CA 92630; (714) 472-6208).

* All the Madmen, Water, Standing Hawthorn, Rogue & the Mood and Judkarn play tonight at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $8-$10. (714) 957-0600. All the Madmen, Standing Hawthorn and John Wayne Transplant play Nov. 5 at the Rhino Room, 7979 Center Ave., Huntington Beach. 9 p.m. $5. (714) 892-3316.

Ratings range from * (poor) to **** (excellent), with *** denoting a solid recommendation.