The American debut by Finland's The Rasmus is not just the sound of a European band singing and playing English and American style alternative pop, it's one of the most self assured pop albums of the year. The songs are tight and concise - free of the over-emphasized melodrama that defines emo or the overproduced dense sound of nu-metal. While the lyrics are not great by any means you have to give props to a Finnish speaking group writing English lyrics for English speaking listeners.

As for the music, the melodies are strong and are accented by new wave-style electronics and strings with just the right amount of atmosphere. The drumming drives the songs - rarely reaching beyond providing just a steady beat. The guitars recall the influence of both Weezer and Soundgarden even though the guitar sound seems secondary on about half the tracks.

The entire album amounts to a good collection of singles sung with a pop-friendly eloquence by lead vocalist Lauri Ylonen with a good, solid overall sound. These guys are a band to watch for.