*** The Mayflies USA

SUMMERTOWN

(Yep Rock)

They've got the haircuts, the hip credentials, and -- most important -- the hooks. On an auspicious debut that shimmers and soars with arching melodies and guitars that both chime and snarl, the Mayflies USA tap their roots and record collections and hold both aloft for the world to hear. The band spring from Chapel Hill, and though that kind of prime geography might've given the boys a head start in terms of the pop-music gene pool, they have the chops to make good on their built-in promise. There isn't a single weak track among the 14 here. The exquisite "Down with Peter Green," the lilting "NYC" (featuring a nice vocal cameo by Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley), and the title track (a hazy, affectionate ode to the band's home town) nod to the melody-obsessed college pop of Velvet Crush, Summertown producer Chris Stamey's old band the dB's, and of course Big Star. In other words, they give all of us Teenage Fanclub geeks something we can use.

-- Jonathan Perry