Quasi put the "rock" in rocky relationships. The third release from this sardonic Portland, Oregon, ex-husband-and-wife duo (an updated Captain and Tennille?) hides gut-wrenching heartache and despair inside sugary vocal harmonies and catchy, succinct songwriting. Sam Coomes' George Martinesque keyboard work burbles and ducks around the blustery drumming of Janet Weiss (who also plays in Sleater-Kinney), their voices conjoining in cynically humorous lyrics ("We went through hell/Just to get to hell"); even with this minimal instrumentation, they effect a startlingly broad spectrum of tone and feeling. Featuring "Birds," the first of Quasi's records not recorded in their own basement, has smooth production values while retaining the personal, all-the-time-in-the-world quality of their previous efforts. Bitterness has never sounded so sweet. (RS 786)

SEAN KENNERLY