The bogus band name says it all – at 36, ex-Replacement Paul Westerberg has rediscovered the playful side that he suppressed on his two solo albums. On this five-song EP, Westerberg (as "Winthrope Marion Purcival V") trades the serious singer/songwriter stuff for raunchy, freewheeling and decidedly unprecious rock & roll songs about lust ("Hot Un") and loneliness ("Homelessexual"). It's his freshest work in years. The acoustic "Lush and Green" follows a trio of Stones-y rockabilly two-steps; one of Westerberg's best ballads, this moving valentine to a departed loved one is just the kind of comic relief in reverse that made his name. His next album probably won't (and shouldn't) have the same humor quotient, but it bodes well that Paul Westerberg has gotten back in touch with his inner boy. (RS 772)

MICHAEL AZERRAD