I saw Spinal Tap perform a week ago. Yes, that's right. Spinal Tap. You think they're fake? No. They're not fake. They're a real band just like any other band. Okay, so their members are comedians by profession, and they perform with aliases, and they speak in fake British accents, and they were invented for the plot of a movie, but they're still real. They write and perform songs, and they're talented. Just before the show, though, I still had trouble convincing myself that I might have a good time. I never considered myself a fan of their music outside of the "comedy" or "novelty" aspects of it. That is, unlike my friend who'd just spent cold hard cash on a Nigel Tufnel doll, I wouldn't be interested in owning Smell the Glove.

Of course, I had a blast at the concert. The three guys were in top form, ripping up guitar solos and inviting guests like Dweezil Zappa and Ry Cooder to do the same. And true to the form established by their infamous "rock-u-mentary," they ran the gamut from their traditional glam-metal to their rootsy blues-rock to some of their "flower children"-esque 60's psychedelic pop. I couldn't help but notice how truly versatile the band was. They could pull off all of their styles with the most genuine sentiment possible. It's as if they were born to perform "Listen to the Flower People," and then effortlessly segue into "Christmas with the Devil."

It's this kind of experience that helps me appreciate bands like Sunless Day a little more. They go through similar phases. They've got their bluesy hard rock, then they've got 70's straightforward pop/rock, then they've got their chiming 60's guitar pop. And all within the first seven tracks of their debut album, Electric Ahhh. They pull it off with a degree of versatility that impresses me. Unlike Spinal Tap, though, Sunless Day have a recognizable sound which remains intact when they're sub-genre skipping, which lends the album a cohesive quality you probably wouldn't find on Break like the Wind.

One of the early highlights comes with the lead-off tracks. Driven solely by a single 6/8 drumbeat with some sound effects littered throughout, "Mustard" serves as an effective minute-long introduction to one of the record's best songs, "Harmony." It's down-and-dirty rock, one of the most pleasurably rough tracks in the batch. A meaty riff fills out every pounding beat when singer Rich Scramaglia isn't crooning with his boyishly tough charm. The next couple of tracks find less success. "Road Trip" is a pleasant enough Big Star-influenced diversion, and "No Way" is built around the traditional 12-bar blues format without adding much to it, with the exception of a breakdown on the bridge suitable for the Grateful Dead.

But it's with the fifth song, "Want It," that Sunless Day start showing their strong suits. A rocking, uptempo progression and simple melody reminiscent of Frank Black's solo work would be pleasant enough if it weren't augmented so successfully with a deliciously harmonic acoustic guitar pattern, wisely placed in the forefront to lend the song a sense of balance. And the dreamy, late-60's hippie pop of the album's strongest song-- the mid-record title track-- contains in its verses one of the most interesting chord progressions I've come across recently. It constantly unfolds and chimes enough to sustain a whole song, even though it only makes appearances in the brief verses.

Electric Ahhh never truly fails, and Sunless Day can certainly pull off each of their varying styles with success. In fact, the more I listen to the record, the higher my rating goes. And while Spinal Tap can play "Bitch School" and follow it up with "Rainy Day Sunshine" without batting an eye, Sunless Day can do just as well without the listener laughing at them.

-Spencer Owen