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**1/2 The Pastels

MOBILE

(Safari Up)

As purveyors of sweet, slow, slightly off-center pop since 1982, the Pastels' low-key approach has influenced numerous bands, including Teenage Fanclub and Galaxie 500. And it shows - the Pastels fit right in with the lo-fi pop making waves today. Yet on Safari, this Scottish band sound as if they'd just emerged from the garage for the first time. Songs like "Mandarin" and "Exploration Team" are choppy, gangly tunes that place heavy emphasis on a Luna-esque guitar jangle, awkward yet clever.

The vocals are a conundrum - drummer Katrina Mitchell has a disconcerting tendency to alternate between creating a smooth Juliana Hatfield/Björk fusion and falling out of tune, as on "Token Collection." Leader Stephen Pastel's droning, Ian Curtis voice adds a melancholic gloom to otherwise cheery, meandering songs like "Classic Line-Up." That the Pastels can write five albums of material and still sound as if they'd just discovered a studio is a dubious achievement, but with Safari, they continue to define "pop" on their own terms. (The Pastels play the Paradise with Yo La Tengo tonight, November 16.)

**1/2 The Pastels

MOBILE

(Safari Up)

- Randee Dawn Cohen