I suppose if you're the average socially- aware realist, you know that politically- charged protest rock n' roll doesn't really save the whales, the Earth, bankrupt farmers, the handicapped, or AIDS victims. And as powerful as great rock n' roll can be, it sure as hell can't stop the Hitlerian Baby Boomer powers of Disney, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Richard "Blitzkrieg" Branson, and Kenny Rogers from eventually stripping us of our freedom of choice and individuality. What I'm saying, in a nutshell, is, we're doomed.

What to do now, you ask? Well, hey, hipsters, if you're gonna jump on the current retro bandwagon, what's the point of bringing back the '60s with all its attendant revolutionary posing, right? Let's forget about Buffalo Springfield, MC5, and please-- no Panther Parties, Strawberry Statements, or Abbie Hoffman hijinks. Nah, give us "Penny Lane," Mancini, Morricone, Gainsbourg, and maybe a little Manhattan Transfer. Groovy, baby. Let's just have some silly, feather- brained fun before Big Baby Boomer Brother transforms us all into de-personalized, volitionless droids by the Year 2000. Let us be lead by the example of International Man of Mystery Austin Powers in this, our blind reverence for the fashionable sounds of the swingin '60s. Now, brothers and sisters, dig Jetset records' Songs for the Jet Set, Volume Two.

Yep, with this release, Jetset Records proves they know what you, the discerning end- of- the- century hipster, need to soothe your nerves after a rough day toiling away at that grueling art director or publicity job. Come home to that newly- renovated loft, take off those prescription-less Buddy Holly spectacles, and treat yourself to some simple, guileless, yet currently stylish pop music-- you know, the kind culled from '60s cigarette ads, dopey game shows, lurid cocktail lounges, b-movie soundtracks, and Spaghetti Westerns. It'll make a nice compliment to that refreshing after- work Starbucks frappucino you spoil your privileged self with. No, baby, you certainly don't want to be reminded of the world's troubles. Oh, and on weekends, when you've managed to navigate those tipsy hipster babes back to your bachelor pad, you'll need to have this light, groovy retro- sounding mood music on hand. Songs for the Jet Set 2 will also make for a melodious grope session with that cute swing- dancing nouveau flapper chick; or perfect background music for mauling that sultry Leopard skin- laden Betty Page look-alike you just captured from a local '70s trash- disco soiree.

Well, truthfully, it's difficult for even the most jaded cynic to keep from melting into a pool of plasma when exposed to the undeniable aphrodisiac quality of these supple tunes. Loveletter's "Forget That Girl" has its striking Flamenco quality. Wallpaper's "Toy Boy" is like the Rascals, with, say, Mason Williams as frontman rather than blue- eyed soul man Eddie Brigadi. We get some airy Lounge-adelic stylings throughout Loveletter's "Penelope"-- elements that suggest some slight parodying of Piper at the Gates of Dawn-era Pink Floyd. Milky's "Surround Yourself With Milky" is unfortunately little more than Moog- inflected elevator muzak. And again, Wallpaper lets fly with another near- flawless instrumental, showing off their gift for the galvanizing hook. There's also Death By Chocolate giving us a bland Mancini pastiche, "Horrible Distorted Dream."

Kim & Co. and Milky both feature bubbly English female singers with unpredictable Bjork-like vocal tendencies. Never failing to suprise and astonish, Kim & Co's lead singer, especially, is blessed with impossibly sweet, angelic vox-- hitting high notes on "Look Up" that float and flutter above an underlying stream of celestial Baroque-pop. Her delicate Hummingbird chirp is answered by the soft cooing of flutes, and some sort of synthesized harpsichord.

So most of this Jetset compilation is overtly vintage- sounding and, yes, sometimes off- the- charts on the goo-o-meter. Yet, there's a smidgen of modernity mixed in with all the blatant '60s referencing. Whether you like it or not, the songs lure you into their own rarefied air-- a thin atmosphere in which you can't help but float right along, dumbstruck by the mindless felicity of it all. But, of course, many bands today are much too self- conscious to succeed at writing such simple throwaway pop like this. There are no messages, melancholy, subtlety, or pretense-- just the kind of cornball '60s kitsch all you hepcats have come to know and love. Innocent, upbeat, not too fruity and never bitter, Songs for the Jet Set 2 tends to go down kinda smooth, y'know? Like a light Merlot. In fact, I think Kim & Co sum up the album best when they sing, "La di da di da..."

-Michael Sandlin