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The Spinanes, "Strand" (SubPop)

It's always great to discover female-fronted bands that defy the reductionist categorization of "Angry Women Rockers." That ill-conceived genre assumes every woman who ever set foot in a recording studio has the same motivations for being there -- namely, to show every guy that ever scorned her what she's made of. Those foolish enough to accept this category as comprehensive are not only missing out on a lot of good music, they're also missing the point: It's rock and roll, stupid, everybody's pissed off.

Portland indie-rockers The Spinanes cut across those old party lines with their second album, "Strand," a strong follow-up to their critically acclaimed 1993 debut, "Manos." With 11 tracks so fat they prove the whole is still greater than the sum of its two parts (guitarist/singer Rebecca Gates and Scott Plouf on drums) "Strand" is all the things a second album should be -- more polished and more filled out than the first -- without losing too much of the raw energy that catapulted "Manos" to the top of the college radio charts.

With a beat so steady you could set your clock to it, Plouf provides a thundering backdrop to Gates' lilting voice throughout "Strand," a contrast of hard on soft that works best on punk-pop songs like "Lines and Lines" and the powerfully upbeat "Valency." On simpler songs like "Luminous" and "Watch Down," Plouf's playing is more subdued, allowing Gates' timid piano playing to weave in between her smoky voice and Mazzy Star-like melodies.

Because she rarely strives to reach beyond the range of her deep alto voice, though, Gates' singing becomes somewhat monotonous by album's end -- adding another guitar to fill out the higher ranges wouldn't hurt.

It's also easy to criticize Gates' songwriting style as being derivative of Liz Phair; at first glance they do appear to walk similar paths, sharing sultry alto voices, an acute honesty, and even producer Brad Wood in the backshop of Chicago's Idful Studios (Phair has since split with Wood as co-producer). But while their paths have crossed (The Spinanes have opened for Phair), they are by no means headed in the same direction. The Spinanes have earned a reputation as great live performers, and in spite of Gates' additional guitar and keyboard tracks on "Strand," the CD doesn't capture the controlled aggression of a live Spinanes show. By contrast, Phair was tying the final ribbon on her own package long before she was ready to perform, a stunt for which she has paid dearly in backlash taxes in terms of "indie-queen" credibility. The two disparate approaches read like a how-to manual for indie rockers -- it will be interesting to see who's still around to write the postscript.

What Gates lacks in self-promotional savvy, she makes up for with a sense of humor so appealing it makes you wish Alanis Morrisette was in touch with her therapist. Although Gates unleashes a hidden bitterness on "Punch Line Loser" ("I saw you catch my laugh as I was slipping out the back/ There's nothing quite so funny, as a hostile second coming") she ultimately refuses to be consumed by it -- "There's nothing quite as lovely as the time as weird as ours/ I watched your back as you were headed towards the bar/ There's nothing quite so stunning."

The album's giggly last track, "For No One Else," could serve as the band's mantra, its improvised feel standing as a reminder that music is meant to be enjoyed, even by those who are making it: "Keep our wonder to ourselves.../ I can't believe I found it.../ hold our wonders for ourselves/hold myself for no one else."

In a time when most indie queens are no sooner crowned than they start complaining about the cross that comes with it, it's nice to finally hear music that's made for all the right reasons.

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