Harry Von Zells, The

***Most of these songs have been around the block several times, some in different neighborhoods, so say the liner notes to this album. What that means is that Mike Shanley wrote some of these tunes while playing in bands like the Love Letters or the Mofones and never got to record them. (He was also in Bone Of Contention, the band that launched Igor Records.)

The Harry Von Zells only played a few shows before the sessions for this album started. Along with Shanley, the band features guitarist Erik Cirelli (Emily Rodgers Band, Skelontonized, and others), keyboardist Michael Cunningham (formerly of Neighbours) and drummer Nate Figlar. Wendy Eisenberg guests on three songs, adding banjo and some frenzied guitar solos. Additional vocals were added by Erin Dawes (also of the Love Letters), Jennifer Schmidt (Catamount) and John Young (the Optimists).

Play It Backwards straddles noisy and catchy—overdriven bass lines give way to jangly riffs, morphing into drones. Some of the lyrics border on plotlines—discussing relationships, musical obsessions and the strange feelings that accompany writing (a recurring Shanley subject). If that wasn't enough, the band also covers "Stardom Because," a song by Big Dipper, the great, underrated band from late '80s/early '90s Boston.