***1/2 The Fleshtones

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

(Ichiban)

Nearly 20 years into their career, with a dwindling audience and plenty of dogged persistence, the Fleshtones have made their best album. More Than Skin Deep is where their '60s-obsessed, three-chord garage rock gets raised to something like high art, thanks to a punchy and pointed collection of songs -- nearly all originals, only one longer than three minutes. On the anthemic "God Damn It," they look their career straight in the eye: "Hippies smoking pot/Our management sucks/We gotta make some money/God damn it!" Rock anthems don't get more honest than that.

Largely dispensing with the horns and sing-along soul choruses they've used in the past, the Fleshtones stick to a stripped-down guitar-and-organ-driven sound. But hyperactive singer Peter Zaremba calms down enough to bring a bit of sensitivity to the finale, "Better Days," a resonant song of hope and friendship. Two minutes of sensitivity on a 35-minute album is just about right.

-- Brett Milano