I feel like a pair of slothful brown sweatpants for letting Ugly On The Inside drift repeatedly through my CD rotation for weeks – but it’s really pretty good. And it would be just damn lazy to describe what this album sounds like by using only references to pre-existing bands, but I’ll go even one step lower by throwing in some random cooking terminology.

Descanso, an art rock trio from California, serves up a musical smorgasbord of rock ranging from truffled pop tarts to meaty metal morsels. Figure everything and anything from Radiohead, U2, and Queens of the Stone Age, to The Cult and Alice in Chains. The vocals are easily digested, wary, but not overly disaffected, comfortably droned and sprinkled with appealing oohs and ahhs. The recipe works particularly well on “Weapons,” “Mute,” and “Playground Fires,” which could be perfectly utilized to backdrop snappy photo commercials.

Mix in some obscure band ingredients like Skiploader or Molly McGuire and you’ve prepared a fairly satisfying indie record. The frosting on the cake is the foldout CD insert displaying some moody cover artwork and smart lyrics. I’m not sure if it’s my ears or stomach that’s telling me Descanso – Dustin Boyer (guitar/vocals), Casey Butler (bass), and Trevor Boyer (drums) – is definitely worth sampling sometime soon.