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*** WOW

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS WOW

(Flat/TKO)

Four years removed from their debut disc, One Hit Wonder, WOW are an older, wiser, and more sophisticated band. This comes through loud and clear on That Was Then, This is WOW. Just look at the album art: on the front an ultrasound of Andrew Beale’s unborn child, on the back ultrasounds of the three remaining members’ still-in-the-womb children. That’s right, all of their wives are pregnant at the same time. It’s fitting, as WOW have been pregnant with this album for quite some time, taking a full year to record it. Their diligence and agony over every last note is paid back in full here.

The opening track, “The Media,” gets right at their alt-pop roots, with a take on REM’s “Finest Work Song” bass riff leading into a scathing riff on the fourth estate. Like every song on the disc, three-, even four-part harmonies are featured in the chorus, here asking us to “tie me in a straight jacket, the media, I can’t escape it now.” Following that tune, written by bassist Andrew Russell, is the Peter Buckley penned “Undercover, Aimless.” Buckley’s deeper growl lends an early-Animals feel, and brother Joe Buckley’s surf solo on the guitar gives the song a ’60s feel that eventually permeates the disc. Both Joe and drummer Beale are newcomers to the band since the first release, and both contribute mightily. Buckley’s solo on “Halfway to the Moon,” extended for the length of two verses, is the highlight of the record. And Beale’s percussion intro on the crowd favorite “Wash it Away” is a subtle way of getting at the catchy “castles in the sand” chorus. WOW aren’t afraid of their pasts either, as they open up their free-spirited pre-marriage days for all to see on the comical, yet strangely despondent for those of us who’ve been there, “Cumberland Ave.” Through Buckley and Russell’s songwriting — borrowing well from sources as diverse at The Who, Dylan, even Rick Springfield or John Cafferty — WOW set up a wonderful balance of contemporary sounds and effects laid overtop actually good, well thought-out tunes. If pop could come back around to this, the radio might be something you could listen to again.

—Sam Pfeifle