** Skunk Anansie

STOOSH

(One Little Indian/Epic)

Stoosh, the second release from Skunk Anansie, doesn't deliver the kind of tight punk the band cranked out on their first CD, Paranoid & Sunburnt. That disc's "Little Baby Swastika," a pop rant denouncing anti-Semitism, together with the anarchistic antics of frontwoman Skin, had British fans believing they'd found a group gutsy enough to put politics back into punk. But Stoosh's cranked-up "Everything's Fucking Politic" and "We Love Your Apathy" fail to excite. It seems that guitarist Ace and bassist Cass have lost the stylistic thread, flailing about from rehashed grunge to cheesy glam rock. When you consider that Skunk Anansie's notoriety has been fueled largely by high-energy live shows, it's interesting that the most memorable tunes on Stoosh turn out to be ballads like "Brazen (Weep)" and "Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Could)." Both tunes reveal the husky power of Skin's more mellow crooning to be the group's new force.

(Skunk Anansie join Rule 62 downstairs at the Middle East this Monday, September 29. Call 864-EAST.)

-- Cathy Miner