If I Breathe I Fall Asleep

The debut album by Baltimore indie kids Avec recalls a time roughly a decade prior to their own, an era between the twin poles of grunge and nu-metal when a generation of young women fronted tough-cookie guitar bands. If I Breathe I Fall Asleep mixes Shawna Potter's whisper-to-a-yelp vocals with a similarly dynamic strain of pop-oriented, emo-tinged indie rock. It's an appealing sound: Potter's a good-to-great singer whose closest point of comparison is probably Helium's Mary Timony, and she and lead guitarist Brooks Harlan know their way around the blend of My Bloody Valentine-style single-note drones and big riffs à la Smashing Pumpkins that defined indie rock circa 1994 or so. Two problems, however: Harlan's occasional lead vocals are no more welcome than D'Arcy's were in the Pumpkins, and the songwriting lacks the big hooks that would really put the tunes over. The one exception is the terrific, sexually charged opener "While You're Down There," a frustrated pop/rock winner that features both Potter and Harlan at their respective best. Come to think of it, most of those old alt rock bands only had one really great song, too, so the resemblance comes full circle.