Ever since the initial critical acclaim that accompanied the Posies' first and most successful release, the ironically titled Failure, the Posies have been knocking around the college scene, never making the jump to mainstream recognition.

Since starting in Jon Auer's father's house and making demo tapes there, the founding Posies, Ken Stringfellow and Auer, are apperently calling it quits. To commemorate their departure from the pop music world, they are releasing this final album, entitled Success.

Finding smart pop music is rare, as it's usually brushed aside so the people like the Spice Girls and the Wallflowers can come barreling through. The Posies make pop music so well- informed, they should be in MENSA.

Taking cues from the Indigo Girls, the Everly Brothers, and Dinosaur Jr, Success is full of happy songs about nothing. Isn't that the essence of pop? Stringfellow and Auer take turns singing and harmonizing beautifully with each other, often complementing each other with different phrases and lyrics.

The lead track, "Somehow Everything" shifts and undulates through several changes. "Fall Apart With Me" is pretty enough to make you blush. "Start a Life" thinks aloud about the difficulty of raising the start- up costs for living.

Thank God bands like the have Posies existed; they've taken everyone else to school.

-Lang Whitaker