***1/2 Pet

PET

(Igloo/Atlantic)

You may recognize Pet from The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack; their "Lil' Boots" -- one of the highlights of that album -- is just a starting point on their album debut, the first project from Tori Amos's newly launched Igloo label. This three-year-old LA power trio deliver variations on rhythm-based pop with guttural howls like Courtney Love's, powerful guitar riffs reminiscent of PJ Harvey, and eerie Tori-like vocal high notes. But the whole is greater than the sum of the comparisons. Within one song, lead singer Lisa Papineau can go from tortured screams that will leave you longing for a throat lozenge to a delicate, melancholic whisper. Throw in a catchy beat and you've the radio-worthy "Skin Tite." Then add the pleading "Fatherland," the snappy "Rogan," the energizing "Secret Motor," and the haunting "360deg." with its subliminal suggestion "Let's fool around." Papineau can create lyric poetry while avoiding both sentimentality and the tired irony of self-effacement. Pet rock with wit.

-- Lorelei Sharkey