I don't know what makes me more pissed off: music that I instantly recognize as bad, or music that I have to listen to a few times to make sure I don't like it. The latter kind of music is what Cola's Whatnot is: yer basic whitewashed alt- groove- rock that's barely on the bad side of mediocre. There are just enough redeeming qualities to make me doubt my initial negative assessment, and when I finally decide that I don't like it, I get angry about having had to listen to it so much.

Singer/ guitarist Tim Bass manages to combine the most annoying vocal tics of Michael Stipe and Adam Duritz-- an impressive feat that could only have been more irritating had he also tried to imitate Keith Flint. Everything else about Cola is unspectacular and doesn't merit mention. The only memorable songs on Whatnot are "Overdriven," which combines a muscly, Helmet- like one- note riff with a nice poppy chorus, and "Prozac," a sweet bit of balladeering that Counting Crows have done better anyway.

Am I being a bit unfair to Cola? Does it matter? Whatnot wasn't worth my time, and it isn't worth yours.

-Nick Mirov