GET THE GUESTS

Third time's the charm for The High Strung: on Get the Guests, they come into their own, adding more ambitious, detailed soundcraft and production to their already winning lyrics and melodies. "What a Meddler!" opens the album with bold brass fanfares that seem to announce how much the band has grown since These Are Good Times and Moxie Bravo; "Maybe You're Coming Down with It" offers more proof with it's stinging lyrics and bittersweet harmonies. Though songs like "The Gravedigger" - one of The High Strung's best Who-channeling moments - shout out to the rough-and-tumble sound of their earlier work, most of Get the Guests concentrates on brainy power pop.