It might seem like a carefully concocted candy bar, but Taylor Hanson and Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger had actually crossed paths in the mid-'90s, and the latter had also met Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha--and they've done everything from guesting on each other's records, to producing, co-owning a Manhattan recording studio, and running an indie label together.

As legend has it, the group collectively wondered, "Who do we know that can play drums like [Cheap Trick's] Bun E. Carlos?" Then somebody--we're not sure who--had a genius idea, something to the effect of, "Uh, why don't we call him?" One affirmative answer later, and consider the van's windows blacked out.

Musically, it's pretty easy to see why Hanson and Cheap Trick fans are delighted, and Smashing Pumpkins followers are so perplexed. There are no vampires in this world, although the bouncy leadoff track "Kind of A Girl" goes from the one "you can't get enough of" to the one "you kinda wish you didn't know." Ouch.

The point: it is what it is--unapologetic power-pop in the vein of the best Doug Fieger (love to hear these guys cover The Knack's "Your Number or Your Name"), Nick Lowe, Buzzcocks, Jam, Vapors, Cars-minus-the keyboards, and, well, Cheap Trick. "Messing with My Head" could have been on Trick's first album. The Hanson-penned "Nothing To Me" could have been on any of them.

The bouncier songs ("Girl," the drum-thumping "Can't Get A Read On You" and handclap-happy "Cha Cha") will get most fans on the floor, and the Iha offering "Back With You" recalls a dreamier time with Pumpkins. If I were forced to pick a standout track, it would have to be the mid-tempo "Dead Serious," written by Schlesinger. Instrumentally, it's akin to Matthew Sweet at his heartfelt best--however, here, it's made evident that Hanson isn't a kid anymore. A few well-placed falsettos may jog a few memories of 1997, but you believe him. You really do.

Cancer has not been cured, but if you just want to waste some time being carefree or cruising for burgers, this works.