On the Chewing Gum Ground

Young, talented, and snotty, this band from Auburn, Washington, break their rock down to the essentials. There's a honed immediacy to Wallpaper's wiry, catchy songs and excitement in the way they combine the earnest lack of pretension of a group like the Turtles with a more cynical post-punk angularity. So even if standout track "Totalled" features handclaps and harmonies, they're still singing about being "cut into pieces." Other songs, like "Rock Collage" and "Pop Rocket," are more sneering, as they target music-world ego.