In the three years since the Posies' last album, the Seattle band has focused on playing gigs rather than making recordings. So it makes sense that the band's fourth release, Amazing Disgrace, would have louder drums and a dirtier amp sound. This shift in emphasis from pop to power hasn't obscured the Posies' juicy melodies, it merely shoves them more forcefully into your head. One such metallic hook is the Ramones-like chant in "Ontario": "I wanna go, I wanna go – to Ontario." The singer-guitarists Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow – who teamed with Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens for a reunited Big Star two years ago – are joined by Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander on "Hate Song." Accordingly, the shallow but intoxicating pop on Amazing Disgrace should lift the Posies from Big Star cult status to Cheap Trick stardom. (RS 737)

GEOFFREY HIMES