Belly

Pigeonholing Belly as another pop band is a fatuity if not an insult. The signature shape of these songs for two guitars, bass, and drums--apparently aimless prologue veering into stronger, squarer verse and then, when all goes well, slamming home on a fast, hooky chorus that rings your chimes later than the usual paydirt--duplicates nobody else's. Just as decisive is the bemused contour of Tanya Donelly's voice--slanted and enchanted, as some clever soul put it. And if the lyrics are a little soft, they're tailored to the mystofemme aura she naturalizes so modestly. Anyway, they're also generous. Not to mention nicely rounded. (Grade: A-)