*** Lilys

THE 3-WAY

(Sire)

Although the gold mine of '60s pop may seem long-emptied, Kurt Heasley's Lilys continue to dig deeper than most of their peers, and they turn out newer, stranger alloys. Neither as traditionalist as Apples in Stereo nor as psychedelia-obsessed as Olivia Tremor Control, Heasley and his ever-changing line-up avoid traditional song structures as often as they embrace them.

The 3-Way is a sophisticated follow-up to '96's Better Can't Make Your Life Better and the '97 EP Services for the Soon To Be Departed. Crammed full of catchy tunes and fuzzbox guitar riffs, the album seethes with hooks. Heasley's songs go off on tangents that most songwriters couldn't get back from, which is what keeps the Lilys from being just another Kinks tribute band. At more than seven minutes apiece, "Socs Hip" and "Leo Ryan (Our Pharaoh's Slave)" are cut-up epics, with passages and themes cropping up in orchestrated frenzies. Heasley's obsession with the sounds of the '60s will likely keep his Lilys a marginal act in the states, yet The 3-Way earns him a spot alongside XTC's Andy Partridge as a skewed yet accessible popsmith.

-- Ben Auburn