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The Stills, "Without Feathers" (Vice Recordings)

On its sophomore release, this Montreal trio gets a little help from its friends in the hometown collective Broken Social Scene. The music is guitar rock with plaintive vocals, and vocal harmonies, backed by a Hammond B3 organ.

On the follow-up to '03's "Logic Will Break Your Heart," drummer Dave Hamelin abandoned his kit for the guitar and the results are impressive. He now shares vocal and six-string duties with Tim Fletcher. And they both share songwriting duties with keyboardist Liam O'Neil.

"In The Beginning" is galloping pop rock, while "Baby Blues" is an indie rocker. But these guys offer more than the usual: beautiful lush arrangements with some funky twists, as on the piano-driven white-boy soul of "Halo The Harpoons" or the funky syncopated beat of "It Takes Time" with saxes and trombone.

"She's Walking Out" covers desolate heartbreak with an almost drunken resignation; the love song dirge "In The End" is about the interchangeability of joy and pain; and a hand clap chorus frames the lost love of "Oh Shoplifter"; while a shambolic quality (and horns) keeps the obsessive "Destroyer" on track.

In fact most (if not all) of these songs are about love in all its permutations, and the Stills offer heartache by the score.

The Stills bring the love for an all-ages show Sunday at the Sunshine Theater, 120 Central Ave. S.W. Kings Of Leon headline. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, plus service charges, at Ticketmaster outlets. Call 883-7800 or go to www.ticketmaster.com. Smoking and alcohol service in segregated areas only.

The Gossip, "Standing In The Way Of Control" (Kill Rock Stars)

This Seattle-based trio specializes in dance punk with a feminist/political stance. The music is melodic with a punk attitude, yet soulful dance rhythms.

Most of the songs are about female empowerment - the poppy riot grrrl frenzy of "Fire With Fire"; the dance blast of the title track that urges you to change your situation; and the propulsive "Eyes Open" - or relationships - the tribal beat of "Jealous Girls"; the disco-punk throbbing bass on "Listen Up!"; and "Dark Lines" with sultry vocals bringing the end of intimacy to life. They also deal with pedophile priests on "Holy Water."

The centerpiece is Beth and her powerful vocal presence. On the slow-burn confessional "Coal To Diamonds," her hurt is palpable as a lilting high hat keeps time. Her voice is infused with soul and yearning (the disco-beat driven "Yr Mangled Heart") and can be quite seductive, in an early rock 'n' roll way ("Keeping You Alive").

Mika Miko, "C.Y.S.L.A.B.F." (Kill Rock Stars)

This five-piece female band dishes loud fast punk rawk that's dissonant yet melodic, with screamed vocals. This is like a flashback to the '70s, as they rip through 13 songs in just more than 21 minutes.

These are pounding pop songs with a fierce beat ("Capricorinations"; "See You There," which ends with speedy hand claps) but it's hard to make out what they're all worked up about.

"Jogging Song (He's Your Mister Right)" cops the hiccup rhythm from "My Sharona"; a fun surf guitar offers pop-punk release on the exhilarating "The Dress"; while "Business Cats" features what passes as female vocal harmonies.

On their bio, the women invite you to their shows to come do the "pony thrash," which I imagine is the pony (a dance from the '60s - ask your parents or grandparents) at top speed. This is like the Ramones redux. Or should I say Ramonas? Where's the mosh pit!?

Listen to "Capricornations"

Swan Island, "The Centre Will Hold" (Holocene Records, out Oct. 24)

Swan Island, "The Centre Will Hold" (Holocene Records, out Oct. 24)

Another Northwest riot grrrl act, this all-female Portland quintet plays hard rock with elements of metal, prog, pop and dance. This is second-generation feminist rock a la Sleater-Kinney or Team Dresch.

The lyrics on this two-year-old group's debut lean toward mythology and fantasy (the prog-rock "Crumble"; the tribal "Grey Matter"; and the hard rock "Home"). "Flew The Coop" is fast hard rock with killer guitar riffs and a jangly metallic melody; and "Tracks" continues the metallic riffage with fast poppy rock.

The epic prog-sounding "The Centre Will Hold" is about "a post-apocalyptic dance party at the center of the Earth." Singer Brisa Gonzalez shows off her emotive range on "Junk Parade," which is an indictment of modern society.

No matter which musical genre they explore, the rhythm section provides a funky bottom.

The Launchpad, 618 Central Ave. S.W., will be riot grrrl central when The Gossip, Mika Miko and Swan Island play at 8 p.m. Monday. Over 21 only. $7. Call 764-8887.

The Draft, "In A Million Pieces" (Epitaph Records)

This band arose from the ashes of Hot Water Music: Bassist Jason Black, drummer George Rebelo and vocalist/guitarist Chris Wollard recruited Todd Rockhill to join them on guitar. And Wollard's vocals are front and center to the betterment of all.

This is a new beginning as evinced on "New Eyes Open" a rocking declaration of this band's intentions. The anthemic "Lo Zee Rose" is a melodic banger; the bombastic "Wired" has a martial beat; while lovers of fast punk rock will be sated with "Out Of Tune" and "Not What I Wanna Do."

The guys mix it up a bit, as on "Let It Go," which has a ska rhythm that switches to rock and back; and the languid chant-along "All We Can Count On" that has a xylophone moving it along. The band issues another edict on the Foo Fighters-like "Alive Or Dead, a pop/hard rock tune dealing with change that includes the lyrics which provide the album's title.

This is post-punk guitar rock, and the sequence of the songs is superb as they flow from one to the next, keeping a certain vibe going. All in all, this is an excellent debut for the Draft.

Listen to "New Eyes Open"

The Lawrence Arms, "Oh! Calcutta!" (Fat Wreck Chords)

The bio says TLA make "ornate Midwestern power pop," but it's loud fast punk with pop sensibilities. This breakneck trio knows only two speeds: fast and faster. (They need to change it up once in awhile.)

The disc opens with "The Devil's Takin' Names" (great title) about death and/or symbolic social death (same thing; ask your teen). The catchy "Recovering The Opposable Thumb" almost makes self-mutilation enjoyable; "Great Lakes/Great Escapes" concerns alienation/ennui yet there's a sense of calm within the chaos; while disillusionment and defiance are behind "Are You There Margaret? It's Me, God." No matter how bleak it may seem (lyric-wise), there's a joie de vivre that imbues the proceedings throughout, which finally comes out overtly on "Lose Your Illusion I" (about having a good time and just going with the flow).

To close out the disc, TLA write a love letter to their fans, "Like A Record Player," a slice of pure power pop about the joys of music. But afterward, there's a nameless "hidden track," a honky-tonk that sounds kind of like Elvis Costello . . . until the freakout at the end. "Oh! Calcutta!" was recorded on analog to tape, warts and all, that gives the album an organic, gritty feel.

The Lawrence Arms, the Draft, Blackout Pact and Bullets to Broadway are on the bill Tuesday at the Launchpad, 618 Central Ave. S.W. Doors for the all-ages show open at 7 p.m. $12. Call 764-8887.

Listen to "The Devil's Takin' Names"

Jonezetta, "Popularity" (Tooth & Nail Records, out Oct. 3)

This quartet from Clinton, Miss., apparently missed the first wave of New Wave, because its full-length debut is synth-driven neo-New Wave a la the Faint or the the Killers' first CD. These guys are stuck in the '80s and that's a good thing. And the dual vocalists don't hurt.

"Welcome Home," synth heavy with too-earnest vocals, counsels about not being able to go back home again; the synth pop "Burn It Down!" has a killer guitar break as it fires a broadside against complacency; while "Man In A 3K Suit" takes aim at Mr. Big Shot with a blast of emo-like vocals. The very cool "Waiting" is a spare guitar ballad I didn't expect to like, but I was won over by the end, and the dance-floor ready "Hot Machete" has a pulsing New Wave disco beat and is just a little cheesy.

These guys wear their neo-influences on "Backstabber," which has a Franz Ferdinand-like rhythm, and "Popularity," a song about the pitfalls of celebrity that recalls the Killers where the guitar is as prominent as the synths. I, admittedly, may be a bit jaded, but this is a band to watch. Jonezetta could easily become a guilty pleasure.

Jonezetta brings its dance rhythms to the Launchpad, 618 Central Ave. S.W., for an all-ages show Wednesday with Mute Math and Shiny Toy Guns. Doors open at 7 p.m. $12. Call 764-8887. Advance tickets at www.virtuous.com.

The Trashies, "Life Sucks Trash . . ." (Mortville Records)

This Seattle punk-rock quartet sings about disaffection with a British-accent affectation; their music is a mixture of early-'70s, first wave Brit punk with creepy sounding farfisa organ flourishes ("Science Sucks," dedicated to President Bush with the refrain: "Science sucks and I don't care!"; and "I H8 You . . ." where self-loathing never sounded so cool). Another affectation is the band members adopting gross-out and/or silly rhyming middle names and the surname of "Trash."

But ultimately, this is hardcore punk. Along with the vulgar lyrics and obscene album and song titles, The Trashies seem to want to be shocking, in the vein of the Sex Pistols circa 1976. And the song titles say it all; the ones that are printable ("Bad Check"), that is.

Come get dirty with the Trashies at the Compound, 3206 San Mateo Blvd. N.E. The Gracchi and Sin Serenade open the all-ages show at 7 p.m. Tuesday. $8. No phone, so just show up.