Again and Again

Personnel: Jess Scott (vocals, guitar); Diane Anastasio (drums).Photographer: David Armstrong.Brilliant Colors' debut record, Introducing, was a quick and promising affair, the all-girl trio from San Francisco charging through a hooky, noisy batch of indie pop with a punk streak like a Flying Nun/C-86 hybrid. Their follow-up record, Again and Again, delivers the same amount of value as the debut, only it's a little sharper and focused both sonically and in the songwriting department. The drums have a little more punch, the guitars ring a bit clearer, and the vocals are louder in the mix, all helping the songs come across better. Like the debut, there are no songs that jump out as singles right away. Instead, they blend into a pleasant half-hour of insistent rhythms, cloudy reverb, and melancholy melodies in a way that makes it more likely that you'll be bowled over by the sum of the album rather than the individual parts. The one song that does stand out initially is "Telephone Stories