Source Tags and Codes

(Interscope)

Remember when aggression was pretty? With most new rock releases falling squarely into one of two camps (brutal, anti-social metal or lite-punk about girls), the music world seems to have forgotten the long legacy of groups from the Who through Nirvana who blended raw power and tuneful melody into a whole greater than the sum of its parts. While its taste in band names leaves something to be desired, Austin, Texas's · And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead appears poised to recapture that legacy.

Trail of Dead knows the value of a cranked-up power chord - Source Tags and Codes, the group's major-label debut, is full to bursting with furious, swirling guitars and crashing drum crescendos. But like their fellow Texans, the late, lamented At the Drive-In, Trail of Dead tempers that fury with strong riffs, interesting lyrics and memorable melodies.

The fifth track, "How Near How Far," showcases the group's talents and stirring effect: The song begins slowly, with shimmering guitars anchored by a dark, heavy bass line, before rising to an impassioned crescendo. Suddenly, things slow again, dropping back to a somber, bass-heavy dirge highlighted with flourishes of cello and violin. Then, the song builds to another peak, capping the heights with explosive bursts of guitar and frenetic vocals. Similar virtuosity is on display on almost every track here, from the cocksure punk shuffle of "Baudelaire" to the operatic heights of "Monsoon."

Trail of Dead is not the only recent group to achieve mastery of this balance - Fugazi, the Pixies and the aforementioned At The Drive-In helped forge the way, and their tangible influence marks Source Tags - but they are the first high-profile major-label group to attempt such an ambitious fusion of tunefulness and testosterone. All in all, they have succeeded powerfully - Source Tags and Codes is a debut that deserves to be heard.