MANDO DIAO -- HURRICANE BAR

If Borlange, Sweden, has an uptown, midtown and downtown, Mando Diao is the undisputed king of all three. And if the Scandinavian quartet brings this permafrost-cooled, Punk-fueled Pop mania to the New York office any time soon, they will easily kick the over-privileged, over-hyped, trust-fund asses of some certain Strokes we know. Mando Diao's 2003 debut, Bring 'Em In, held the promise of a band capable of channeling every patently great era of Rock -- the '60s' Pop wonder, the '70s' Punk charm, the '80s' New Wave exuberance and the '90s' post-modern cool. The band's sophomore effort, Hurricane Bar, redeems its predecessor's promise and trumps every one of its considerable aces in the process. Mando Diao swings like crazy, effortlessly referencing the best qualities of everyone from The Kinks ("Cut the Rope") to The Jam ("White Wall") to The Beatles ("Added Family") to Cheap Trick ("God Knows") to The Soft Boys ("Clean Town") to Supergrass ("This Dream Is Over") and folding those elements into its own unique and undeniable high-octane presentation. (Brian Baker) Grade: A-

CONFIDENTIAL -- UNIVERSAL SOUL

· CONFIDENTIAL -- UNIVERSAL SOUL (SELF-RELEASE)

Continuing the Tristate's dubious tradition of Caucasian Funk, rapper Confidential has produced a debut full of passable Hip Hop songs. Universal Soul definitely has its moments but lacks consistency. Due to the self-aggrandizing nature of Rap, if you don't bring your A-game full-time the whole package falls flat, and often his songs slip into B or C territory. Confidential tackles the most obvious comparison with the lyric, "They act like 'cause I'm white it's The Eminem Show." Well, there is that. Beyond sharing skin color, Confidential also has nasal delivery and fills his lyrics with hate mail to women in his life (his mother and baby momma) and the music industry. But he does distinguish himself in a way that is "so Cincinnati": Many of his songs are full of praise for his girlfriend and dreams of their future together. This is far cry from typical misogynistic Rap and provokes a strange mixture of endearment and abashment. He also gives his hometown love on "Cincinnati's in the Door." The best tracks on the album are his collaborations with other rappers, "That's Me featuring Rose," "In the Spot featuring Diz" (which contains the album's best line, "Making dough like Servatii's, stretching ho's like Pilates") and "Fallen Soldiers featuring K-9." These songs represent his most danceable beats and powerful delivery. Perhaps the talent of the guests inspired him to raise the bar, or maybe these tracks were done later, giving his skills time to improve. Either way, they are the songs that showcase Confi's undeniable potential. (Ezra Waller) Grade: C

STELLAR KART -- ALL GAS. NO BRAKE.

· STELLAR KART -- ALL GAS. NO BRAKE. (WORD/CURB/WARNER BROS.)

Stellar Kart. Hmmm. Good name. I like it, but think that a better name for them might be We Learned to Play Instruments to Get Girls, Not Because We Actually Care About Music Quartet. It just seems to represent them better. Every song on All Gas. No Brake. (groan) sounds like it came off the set list of first round vote-offs in Bogart's High School Band Challenge. The desecration of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" strips the band of any pity or mercy for their ill-fated debut. And even if their goal is to get girls by playing transparent Rock ballads like "Spending Time" and the geniusly titled "A Love Song," they still might lose the hearts of their precious tweens with asinine tracks like "Student Driver." Maybe a clever metaphor about needing guidance through life's obstacles, but with lines like "Now my right wheel is wobbling off/And my stereo's blown," it might just be about a student driver. But wait, they might not be targeting your brace-faced girlfriends because it turns out that they're a Christian band, venerating God in songs like "Life Is Good" and "Second Chances." Unfortunately, even a decree by the Pontiff can't make All Gas. No Brake. a work of musical craftsmanship. This is all very difficult to confess. I mean, I like God, too. Yay, God! But there's more sugar in this Teen Pop than a truckload of Now and Laters. I'm just being honest. And I'm definitely going to Hell. (Jacob Richardson) Grade: F

ERIC MATTHEWS -- SIX KINDS OF PASSION LOOKING FOR AN EXIT

· ERIC MATTHEWS -- SIX KINDS OF PASSION LOOKING FOR AN EXIT (EMPYREAN)

After Cardinal's one-album-and-out career, Eric Matthews' first two solo records of perfectly creased baroque Pop were so ephemeral they threatened to float out of the CD tray. Matthews' whispery Scott Walker-on-downs vocals stood in contrast to his lushly bombastic Pop orchestrations and the tension between the two was the inherent magic of both albums (1995's It's Heavy in Here, 1997's The Lateness of the Hour). After an eight-year hiatus (save for session gigs with Ivy and Tahiti 80, among others), Matthews offers Six Kinds of Passion Looking for an Exit, where he narrows the gap between his subdued vocals and his ambitious Pop by singing more forcefully and streamlining his lush arrangements. There's still plenty of atmosphere, drama and beauty illuminating Matthews' emotionally wrought songs -- from the slyly referential Psych Folk lilt of "Cardinal Is More" to the Joe Pernice-tributes-The-Rascals Pop of "Underground Song" -- and the good news is the magic is gloriously intact. (BB) Grade: B+