by Jason Ankeny
Co-produced by Steve Fisk and the Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan and Gary Lee Conner, Beat Happening's brief, brilliant sophomore effort significantly expands the trio's horizons without sacrificing any of their naïve charm. Sporting a fuller, more intricate sound and stronger songs than their debut, Jamboree crystallizes the trio's love-rock aesthetic in its embryonic stages; veering sharply from the idyllic drones of the perennial &Indian Summer& to the poignant crush-pop of &Cat Walk& to the indie-party classic &Midnight a Go-Go,& each cut is a marvel of innocence and ingenuity.