Before Today4AD ****

It turns out that Ariel Pink scrubs up very well after all. There have always been pop traces in Ariel Rosenberg's tunes (and he's released a lot of music since kicking off in the mid-1990s), though they've been overshadowed by eccentric notions and often illogical stylistic shifts. So what's interesting about Before Todayis how the LA musician has pulled together an album that maintains an edge while benefiting from some structural spit and polish. Pink's ear for the perfect pop pitch and his band's winning ability to keep those songs on track make Before Todaya fascinating, engaging listen. What really stands to Pink is how his magpie-like fondness for ducking and diving between styles, from trippy, funky glam-rock (Hot Body Rub) and space-age pop ( Bright Lit Blue Skies) to soft rock ( Round and Round), makes more sense here than it ever has before. See myspace.com/arielpink

Download tracks: Round and Round, Bright Lit Blue Skies