THE PROMISE RING (1999)

While this Milwaukee quartet have solidified their indie following with pressurized melodic musings, their third album reveals a knack for hook-heavy power pop. The chant-along lyrics of ''Emergency! Emergency!'' will surely be accompanied by rabid air-guitaring, while the evocation of summer's end on ''Jersey Shore'' is a work of sap-free nostalgia. Still, given the simple verse-chorus-verse structure, it's hard not to note a ring of familiarity.