**1/2 Chopper One

NOW PLAYING

(Restless)

Former Weezer bassist Jason Cropper -- he co-wrote a tune on 1994's Weezer and was replaced by the now departed Matt Sharp before "Undone (The Sweater Song)" became a hit -- and his wife, Amy, are the driving force behind the revved-up buzz pop of Chopper One. He plays guitar, she handles the bass, and together they harmonize on sticky-sweet bubblepunk ditties about angry girlfriends ("Dynamite"), old friends ("Free Lunch"), and an eccentric neighbor named "Mr. Walden." There's a hint of Weezer in the woolly-bully guitar churn of "Touch My Fuzz" but none of River Cuomo's annoying/endearing geekiness. So like dozens of other power trios and foursomes who have burned rubber at the pop crossroads where Ramones punk intersects Cheap Trick rock (Chicago's Material Issue come directly to mind), Chopper One seem happy spinning their wheels tunefully without covering any new ground.

-- Matt Ashare