Tart and to the point, it’s a spirited revolt

Be Your Own Pet

“Be Your Own Pet” (Universal/Ecstatic Peace)

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ARGUABLY just as studied in a punk format as Lindsay Lohan is in pop -- and really, it’s unreasonable to expect otherwise from youngsters -- these four Nashville teens nonetheless deliver a debut album nearly worthy of the buzz that’s accompanied the band’s emergence. That’s largely due to Jemima Pearl’s forthright manner and lyrics, singing-speaking-shouting fragmented proclamations of independence (emotional and sexual) that combine the declamatory call of Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker and the chattiness of punk-mode Gwen Stefani.

But there’s also solid sophistication in the structure and playing, even as the 15 songs rush by in a crisp 33 minutes with nary a pause. Jonas Stein’s guitar knifes through the fury, and the whole thing is saved from collapsing into a blur by the clear-yet-warm production of Steven McDonald -- himself a former teen-punk prodigy with Redd Kross.

Smart and witty touches abound. Take, for example, the ceremonial rock-show fanfare kicking off opening song “Thrasher’s Flail” and the cheekiness of stealing the title “Stairway to Heaven” for an original song. And the melodic “October, First Account” makes for a strong pop-rock side trip.

But it all rests on Pearl’s tart tongue, the profanity and frank language only occasionally gratuitous, even if it seems the product of youthful indulgence rather than the personal/ cultural rebellion that once fueled such teen-punks as X-Ray Spex. The group plays June 27 at the Troubadour.

-- Steve Hochman