Though it appears that somebody made an error and that this EP is actually a 10- track long- player, the album covers only 27 minutes worth of musical territory. Don't worry-- Like Someone In Love may be shorter than a sitcom, but there aren't any commercial breaks and 10 songs means 10 songs-- brevity is irrelevant.

Core members Timothy Bracy and Peter Hoffman are a songwriting duo in the tradition of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Bob Mould and Grant Hart, Rufus and Chaka Khan-- you get the picture. The differences between the two are audible-- Bracy is the down- homebody, Hoffman likes his guitars shaken, not stirred-- but neither is willing to sing above a dusty whisper. And in case any number of Replacements/ Uncle Tupelo (they're not as different as you think) disciples haven't proven that country is just fine with fuzzy guitars, Like Someone In Love will testify.

Don't mistake this for a punk- rock hoedown though; the Mendoza Line is a strictly low- key affair. "Wiretapping" keeps a two- step beat going as melancholy seeps into the cryptic vocals. Before you know it, the two- step's done and the fuzz-fi peach "I Know I Will Not Find The Words" looks at like- minded lyrics through a pure pop lens. Bracy and Hoffman grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and the influence of such brainy popsters as Unrest and Velocity Girl is obvious and welcome. But there's no need to pigeonhole. Pop is just one element of many crammed onto this disc.

The Mendoza Line seem to relish the thought that what they're doing is mostly mediocre. The name itself is the term used to describe when a baseball player falls below .200 (for those not familiar with baseball terminology, .200 really sucks). By doing so, they're guaranteeing themselves musical happiness, because while none of these 10 at-bats goes long enough to be a home run, there isn't a strikeout among them.

-Shan Fowler