part of identity. In "Deadbeat Club," the band members find a sense of belonging through mutual laziness. In "Roam," they present restlessness as a kind of mission unto itself. Unsurprisingly, the music on these tracks is also the most convincing. As the B-52's have proven in the past, their most consistently exciting songs are not their wildest but their ballads with a backbeat – songs where Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson really get to show how broad their emotional range can be. In "Roam" their voices intertwine like fine braids. Better still is their plaintive reading of "Dry County," aided by a soulful melody and a twist in lyrics that move the song from extolling the joys of summer heat to a complaint about desires that can't be quenched.

True, the album does have its dry patches. "Cosmic Thing" is just your average party-in-space number, "Junebug" is "Rock Lobster" in hiding, and "Follow Your Bliss" is an instrumental throwaway. And there's always the problem of Fred Schneider's one-joke voice to deal with. But the light tone of the record deflects too much scrutiny. For a summer record, it generates sufficient heat. (RS 556-557)

JIM FARBER