If Eric Matthews is leading the pop music revolution, bringing intelligence and intrigue back to bubblegum streets, Vaganza is just behind him.

With vocal and instrumental duties split between two New Jersey natives, Quigley and David Longworth Wallingford exhibit more style and class than the rest of the Garden State has exhibited since the dedication of the Howard Stern highway rest station.

The songs on Vaganza's self-titled debut are, to a track, deep and flourished, mixing sprawling strings and layered instrumental runs while never sacrificing an ounce of melodic integrity. "Wedding Day," about a miserable day of wedded chaos, is almost carnival-like in its structure. "Sweet Sensation" starts off in a swing groove, but shifts into mainstream rock on the choruses. "Margherita" appears straight out of "Aida," before becoming a mambo that would Ricky Ricardo to shame.

I'm not sure which vocalist is which, but neither is gifted with a particularly outstanding voice. One vocal is deep and a touch melodramatic, the modern rock equivalent of a boozy Broadway diva, while the other has a limited range and comes off sounding something like Poison's Bret Michaels. But Vaganza's attitudes go a long way in covering their vocal deficiencies.

Cribbing style from Culture Club and substance from the Beatles, Vaganza has crafted a smart debut record. Probably too smart. Because while their melodies are more memorable than any of today's modern rock hits, their songs are far superior in intelligence, and that's what truly does away with their public accessibility.

-Lang Whitaker