Plumb the depths, descend the steps and maybe you can have it for your own." The lyrics to "Shine," the opening track on Hideout, Antenna's second album, could easily be describing guitarist-vocalist-songwriter John Strohm's change in musical direction since leaving Blake Babies, the band in which he took a creative back seat to frontperson Juliana Hatfield. With Antenna, Strohm has taken the catchiness of his former combo and encased it in a much more complex – and compelling – aural structure.

This didn't happen overnight, though. Antenna's approach on its debut, Sway (1991), was a bit disjointed and spotty, sounding more like a premature solo outing than a group effort. Hideout, however, comes across as the culmination of a year of musical soul-searching and collaborative playing between Strohm and co-writer, bassist and vocalist Jake Smith. The result: a collection of tuneful compositions awash in a whirlpool of swirling sound.

Hideout's songs sneak up on you. Pretty openings build into sonic tidal waves, as on "Dreamy," with touches of slide guitar offset by crashing power chords. The moodily melodic "Grey Street," which follows in the footsteps of Syd Barrett at his most coherent, lulls yet captivates with emotive vocal harmonies.

Antenna plays all twelve songs on Hideout with a ferocity and passion that drive home the expressive lyrics. Having left lite pop behind, Strohm and company have bolted in a forceful new direction. (RS 655)

HOLLY GEORGE-WARREN