The collective members of June of 44 put out enough recorded output in a year to feed the world's poor with the fragments of nutrition they might get from eating vinyl and compact discs. This year alone, the band released its opus to shitting logs, the godawful Anahata, while individual members continued with their various self- indulgent quasi- solo noodlings with varying degrees of success. Now this, the sixth installment of the Holland- based Konkurrent imprint's In the Fishtank series, features the band taking a couple of days out of their touring schedule to lay even more riffage down. It's enough to make you think they were a jazz band or something.

June of 44 has had its share of great moments, beginning with its first two ferocious records, Engine Takes to Water and Tropics and Meridians. Both were elegant extensions of the math-rock prototypes of Rodan and Slint. But somewhere along the line, the boys went to Mexico and got buried by a shaman or something and became tie- dye- wearing hippies. Subsequent efforts suffered from an adventurousness that the band couldn't really handle.

It was with great trepidation that this reviewer put the record on the hi-fi, fearing that a tossed- off quickie session record would drench the room with the sound of some punk-rock equivalent to Phish. To my surprise, most of In the Fishtank is playful without crossing the line into pretentiousness.

The opening track, "Pregenerage," has a dense, ambient feel that recalls the work of drummer Doug Scharin's excellent Directions in Music project. "Every Day a Good Day" is propelled by a horrendously catchy robotic bass riff with layered guitar feedback and propulsive drum breaks. "Modern Hereditary Dance Steps" chugs along a la Trans Am on a good day. It's a far cry from the band's early epic tension.

The band loses big points for including "Generate," perhaps the most urine- drenched piece of music the band has ever committed to tape. Jeff Mueller and Sean Meadows are not great singers-- their best moments always come when they're screaming-- and their off key ramblings come off as something like Spandau Ballet on paint thinner.

But one track does not a gripe make. Even on the best moments of In the Fishtank, it's nothing more than really impressive studio wankery during which melodies are summoned and effects are added before the songs fade out. Fine and dandy, sure, but for completists only.

-John Toes