*** Cardinal Woolsey

PARALYZED WITH HAPPINESS

(Puddle)

Last autumn, Cardinal Woolsey bandleader Kris Woolsey subbed as lead guitarist on Fountains of Wayne's European tour. But if Steve Wynn ever needs a stand-in, Woolsey's his man. With an acerbic wit and sneer lifted straight outta the Wynn-doing-Reed-doing-Dylan Manual of Rock, Woolsey oozes insouciant attitude, dispensing oblique warnings like "Stay away from windows/They make you see/Get away from money/Money makes you free." Sure, we've heard it before, especially if you own a copy of the Dream Syndicate's Days of Wine and Roses. But when the thievery sounds this good, who cares?

On their indie debut -- which I bought after watching the band shrug off crappy weather and a sparse crowd at Club Bohemia last winter -- the band shade their brash, restless pop songs with darker, moodier colors and atmospheres. Strings lend delicate gravity to the twilit meditation of "Colors." "I Get a Rush" is the same kind of sweet-and-sour pop duet that Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley give us when they want to break up Yo La Tengo's feedback excursions. Not a bad bunch of models to blueprint.

-- Jonathan Perry