Grandaddy's second-generation lo-fi pop sound will draw the inevitable comparison to Pavement (whose Stockton, California, home is not far from Grandaddy's launching pad in Modesto). The band prefers to record at home "not because we're good at it, but because we're not always confident of our own ideas," making comparisons to Sebadoh's early work nearly unavoidable. Yet if you dig further, you'll find a thoughtful group of musicians who draw on their influences, but aren't constrained by them. Under The Western Freeway , the band's first full-length, includes a veritable cornucopia of sounds all wrapped up in precious party favors. For example, the sonorous but building "A.M. 180" is driven by a simple melody played on what sounds like a cheap Casio, guitars chime in on the breaks and the arrangements are nicely thought-out. Picking up the pace, "Summer Here Kids" has a peppy arrangement, but once again the lyrics are filled with images of disillusionment: Song after song, the startlingly articulate lyrics dwell on a tone that is both cynical and maudlin, yet the musical accompaniment is an aural vision of loveliness. Updating what its members call the "sad pop song formulae," Grandaddy has shed comparisons to arrive with a beautiful vision called Under The Western Freeway. - CMJ