Ask vocalist Scott Bradford to describe the Crumbox sound, and you'll get one of two answers, depending upon your appearance. |"First, I assess the person: Does he or she look like an indie rock kid, or a mainstream radio listener?" he says. "If it's the former, I'll say, 'Our music has a little bit of Pavement in it, as well as old Superchunk.' If they look like the latter, I'll say, 'We have that poppy, alternative rock thing going on, y'know, kind of like Everclear or Semisonic.' I don't really believe we sound like any of those bands, but people usually seem satisfied by one or the other."

The independent thinking Crumbox hit the indie trail a year ago with Resident Double U, an album of spirited and sweaty garage band workouts. As the band toured the country opening for Archers of Loaf, Presidents of the United States of America and the Toadies, many usually-hard-to-please music critics gave them a thumbs-up, comparing them to acts such as Sebadoh, Husker Du and the Replacements. By year's end, Crumbox had achieved the sort of anonymous success the insulated indie world loves so much.

Crumbox -- Bradford, guitarist Frank Cunsolo, bassist Dave Smith and drummer Keith Fallis -- have loftier, more conspicuous goals in mind for the recently released Map of the Sky, a record whose clean-in-the-middle-yet-fuzzy-around-the-edges feel suggests the aforementioned Archers as well as Sunny Day Real Estate. It's a comparison that Bradford's more secure with.

"I've always admired the way bands like Radiohead and Sunny Day Real Estate got the power of their songs across without relying on pure volume and constant distortion," he says. "I definitely wanted to get that kind of feel on this record."

As a result, Map songs like "Crush the Star" and "The Sign" navigate alluring melodies with a subtle blend of abrasion and balm -- a far cry from the post-punk bash and pop of Resident. "The first album was much more of an in-your-face kind of thing," says Bradford. "I basically wanted songs I could rock out with during our live shows. This time around we really wanted to slow things down and let the songs breathe a bit. In other words, I got tired of trying to crush my guitar."

Bradford formed Crumbox in 1992, just a few months after he relocated from his hometown of Chapel Hill, N.C., to Los Angeles. "The funny thing is, I didn't move out here hoping to get a record deal," he says, "I was just looking for a job in the music industry. I knew all the record companies had offices in Los Angeles, so I figured I'd move and take a chance."

After a brief employment at Burbank's Alias Records, Bradford decided to matriculate at law school by day and jam with Crumbox in Hollywood clubs at night. It was during his third year at Southwestern University that the band was signed by Time Bomb. "I've been really lucky so far, and if things don't quite work out for the band," he laughs, "I always have a law degree to fall back on."

MICHAEL MOSES(December 11, 1998)