In Brief

Produced by Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan, the former Cars frontman’s latest effort is a fetching mixture of vintage synthesizers and grinding guitars, new-wave polish and post-punk grit. Crisp instrumentation and soft harmonies coalesce in “Hang on Tight,” and the title track blends a supple tune and edgy rock with a faint Western tinge--”Candy-O” at home on the range. A match made in heaven.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips