Eventually someone has to write the song "Mama, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Sensitive Singer-Songwriters," and Mark Eitzel may be the man for the job. The singer-songwriter-guitarist for San Francisco's critically acclaimed American Music Club, Eitzel has been struggling with his position as a "spokesman for every tired thing" since the band's inception ten years ago.

Clearly attracted to...

Will I fall into a cool, cool river?/Or will I fall into a frozen lake?" sings Mark Eitzel on American Music Club's seventh album, summarizing the band's chipper MO: You're gonna fall – just where is the question.

San Francisco follows last year's major-label debut, Mercury, but this time around the Bay Area quintet offers a more seamless sound, avoiding some of the arty confusion that plagued...