What's better than making sweet love down by the fire? Depending on who you are, it's the driving forces behind a few of your favorite bands getting together and doing a record or three. The Halo Benders initially seemed like a one-off featuring the talents of Doug Martsch (from Built To Spill) and Calvin Johnson (from Beat Happening), but has, by some great miracle become a regular band.

The Rebels Not In is their third record together and the songs are just as fun to sing along with as they always are. Part of the appeal is Johnson's sing-speak vocal style and Martsch's always- charming boyish tenor parts. They've mentioned that they pretty much ignore each other when working on vocals. As a result, you usually get two different, very strong melodies working against each other. It's like a competition to see who makes the best song. So hey, instead of 11 songs, you get 22. Works for me.

The new record holds up suprising well when pitted against the Benders' earlier stuff and while there's nothing as compelling as their first hit single, "Don't Touch My Bikini," but songs like "Virginia Reel Around The Fountain" and "Foggy Bottom" come pretty close. So, I guess whether it's better than making sweet love down by the fire or not is purely a matter of opinion. I'm diggin' on it.

-Ryan Schreiber