I Bificus

If you buy this one on the basis of the video for "Moment of Weakness," you'll be surprised by a couple of things: first, that Bif's stylistic range embraces much more than that song's tightly constructed pop-punk roar; second that "I Died" and "Spaceman" are both plain old anthemic guitar rock; third, that "Lucky" is a low-key and gently cathartic ballad; and finally, that "Chotee" is old-school, three-chord punk in the tradition of the Ramones. Another surprising element is her seriousness. The exuberantly goofy persona she exhibits on talk shows and in the "Moment of Weakness" video is not evident on any of these songs (though it raises its cockeyed head repeatedly throughout the handwritten liner notes). Her topics — which include a failed marriage, extraterrestrials who never come to abduct her even though she's ready and waiting, and her own straight-edge (i.e.drug-free) lifestyle — are generally dealt with quite earnestly, if not terribly deeply. The final product is really very good, though few other songs approach the perfect disposability of the single.