From a stylistic perspective, Love and War is a strange CD. On one hand, pick your favorite '60s-era musician and you're bound to find The Pets sounding like him/her at some point during this album. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young? Try "Vika." Burt Bacharach? How about "A Lighthearted Lovesong?" Three Dog Night? The first 30 seconds of "Sunshine Shining" scream "Mama Told Me Not to Come." The Beach Boys? Give "Lately in the Shade" or "The Liar" a spin. The Beatles? "On to You", and the final track, "Welcome to the End of the World", bear an uncanny resemblance to the Fab Four's output. But on the other hand, you have track eight, a three-movement, eight-minute opus entitled "Cycle of Tyranny", which is pure modern punk rock ranting. Go figure!

I like the vast majority of this disc, though it sometimes leaves me scratching my head. The opening song, "What Are We Doing to Ourselves?", knocks me out with its Lennon-esque vocals, sweet harmonies, bubbling basslines, flavorful rock organ, melodic guitar riffs and snappy pace. The first time you hear it you might think you've found a band in the Of Montreal vein, though not as silly. It's a great first track. I also really enjoyed "A Lighthearted Lovesong" and "On to You." "A Lighthearted Lovesong" is a soulful, sort of loungey ballad that makes an earnest effort to live up to its title. Strangely, its vocals recall ska band Judge Dread (think "Tammy"). "On to You" is also a love song, but more passionate than sweet; with its rousing chorus of "Whatever you want, whatever you need, Oh can't you see I'm gonna be there for ya…", it'll get you yearning.

In many ways The Pets are a bifurcated phenomenon. One duality is their simultaneous propensity for things classic rock and things modern punk. Another division has to do with longwindedness. The majority of songs on Love and War are of respectable FM radio airplay length (3-5 minutes). There are a couple epics, however: the song-cycle "Cycle of Tyranny" and the ten-minute diatribe "Welcome to the End of the World." It's in these less succinct moments that I find The Pets at their weakest. "Cycle of Tyranny", in both musical and thematic aspects, is surprisingly unoriginal. It's a very standard punk-rock anti-establishment rant with a very standard punk rock accompaniment. As a musical composition, it pales in comparison with the more focused and flavorful works on the album. "Welcome to the End of the World" is interesting enough musically -- it's kind of psychedelic/anthematic, in a "Hey, Jude" kind of way. It even has one of those "Jude"-like rousing choruses. What I don't like about it is the way the pretty obvious message ("The World is in trouble") is flogged to death so mercilessly. I think ten minutes is simply too long to sustain this one-dimensional theme. Cut it down to five minutes and I'd be a happy man.

With a debut this strong, The Pets have a promising future ahead of them. If, on their follow-up, they can refine the wonderful musical textures that abound on Love and War, and rein in their verbosity a bit, I think they'll really be on to something!