**1/2 Madder Rose

TRAGIC MAGIC

(Atlantic)

This NYC foursome never seemed particularly comfortable dressing their plaintive pop in the ragged garb of indie rock. Singer Mary Lorson's voice was always too soft and nuanced -- just too damn good -- to be smothered in the noisy fuzz and churn of distorted guitars that nonetheless dominated 1993's Bring It Down and then receded not quite enough on '94's Panic On (both Seed). And guitarist Billy Coté's textured embellishments always seemed to be pushing in the direction of something more refined than either disc offered.

On Tragic Magic, Coté and Lorson finally abandon their indie-rock aspirations and reinvent Madder Rose as a slicker, more mature rock outfit. With its swirling pop hooks, edgy guitars, and melancholy vocals, "(She's a) Satellite" -- the disc's most immediately accessible track -- spans the gap between the old and the new. But Lorson and Coté slowly burn that bridge with the smoldering, trip-hoppish groove of "Hung Up in You"; with the piano, organ, and Moog synths that join the tasteful guitar sculpting; and with what sound like programmed beats taking the place of Rick Kubic's drums on "Hung Up in You" and "Flow to the Top." Lorson makes good use of the roomier, more relaxed mix, allowing alluring whispery tones and jazzy inflections to creep into her vocals, projecting a kind of subtle moodiness that was once lost in the fray.

-- Matt Ashare