It's yet another mystery of modern rock radio that you rarely hear Velocity

Girl on the airwaves. Even in Washington, DC, their home base, airplay is

for the most part restricted to special occasions, as when some generous DJ

marked the release of their latest effort, Gilded Stars and Zealous

Hearts, by playing a track or two. Otherwise, Velocity Girl seem

confined to one mega-station's weekly show for underground, lesser known,

and/or local bands, "Now Hear This." Now you hear it, now you like it, now

don't expect to hear it again...at least not in any regular rotation.

All of which is surprising, not just for the hometown aspect, but because

Velocity Girl, while still resolutely an indie band, is far from

underground. Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts is their third

full-length release for Sub Pop, and the songs on it are perfect for the

radio­­catchy punk-pop songs with easy melodies and hooks

galore, coupled with intelligent, decipherable lyrics that, if not always

profound, manage to steer clear of pop cliché.

But Velocity Girl is pop music with a bite, something of the low-fi garage

variety. Not too many flashy solos here, just musicians fitting together

like pieces of a puzzle. On the incredibly likable "Gilded Stars," one part of the album's title, guitarists Archie Moore and Brian Nelson propel the tunes with

assured, classic punk-pop riffs that provide an interesting melodic

foundation. Meanwhile bassist Kelly Giles and drummer Jim Spellman lock

together in a reliable but imaginative beat. All of this lets vocalist Sarah

Shannon sing with a strange, off-kilter cadence and phrasing­­ a style atypical of formulaic pop.

Shannon sings solidly in an uncommon high-alto range, with none of the

growling or screaming of her contemporaries. There is a sweet naiveté in

her voice that sometimes belies the emotionally sharp lyrics. She's

telling us stories, personal accounts not so much of what's happened as how

she feels about what's happened.

On the standout "Same Old City," her silky alto taps into a melancholy

explicit in the words, but hidden in the melodies: "This place is so full

of excuses/ Makes me so tired and reclusive/ Too many people just know me

too well." Any other band probably would have turned this into a ballad,

but not Velocity Girl. What's so refreshing about the group is that you'd never

suspect their sometimes self-deprecating lyrics from their upbeat,

easygoing music. On "Nothing," a song about choosing between holding on

and moving on, the line about "faking the feelings [you] don't have" will

stick in your throat, even while the contagious refrain sticks in your head

and puts a smile on your face. It's a strange combination of emotions, but

somehow it works.

Still, Velocity Girl have a harder edge to their music that has helped to

define the distinctly un-average garage-band sound showcased on Gilded

Stars and Zealous Hearts. "Lose Something" and "Zealous Hearts" are

rough tracks­­the former with some unusually straightforward,

power drumming by Spellman, the latter with wilder, sliding guitar riffs.

"Go Coastal" is a hyper tune, thanks mostly to Giles' speedy, bouncy bass

line, quite inventive without stealing the spotlight from Shannon's clever

lyrics: "I love the way/ You look at me sideways/ If you don't mind/ I'll

stare at you straight on."

What most distinguishes these songs from one another is the personal

feeling that you attach to each after you've listened a few times. That

must explain why, at their live shows, devoted fans can recognize every

tune immediately, while uninitiated listeners are occasionally left

wondering if they aren't hearing the same tune over again.

On the one hand, Velocity Girl might just be too easy, their songs too

accessible for some music fans. On the other, they just may be one pop

band that rock fans aren't embarrassed to like. The band seems comfortable

straddling both camps. "It's Not for You" brings Shannon and Moore

together on lead vocals (Moore adds vocals on several tunes) as they

harmonize, "If you're too cynical to endure my gratitude/ I won't disturb

your solitude/ It's not what I wanna do." The friendly tune lilts and

rolls along until its somber coda. At a much slower pace, sparse guitar

solos lead into one final, introspective refrain: "As far as I can tell/

I'm grounded, maybe it's just as well...As far as I can see/ My

conscience is lighter inside my dreams."

The band says they're determined to go after a different sound on each of

their albums. Fairly accurate. But apparently, once they settled on the

sound for Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts, they took the old "If it

ain't broke, don't fix it" adage to heart. The basic formula followed on a

dozen or so tracks works well for them, but it would have been nice to see

them stretch their necks a bit further, maybe mix the ingredients a bit

differently, as they do on "Blue in Spite" and "For the Record." These two

songs show off a slower, more subdued side, giving guitarists Moore and

Nelson a break from fast-pace melody duties and a chance to show off and

wail a bit, while Shannon and Moore's vocals reveal a quietly sultry side.

But maybe more risk taking is the theme for the next album. I'll be ready,

and maybe radio will be too.