The truth is that Discount already has "best punk rock band" all locked up for this year, so Lucky Strike is automatically at a bit of a disadvantage. But there's nothing wrong with second place. If you're looking for a loud, fast, co-ed, sometimes angry/sometimes silly, melodic, old-school, slightly X-influenced punk band to get behind, then Lucky Strike might be just the pin to stick in your bonnet.

Melanie Levy has the punk rock girl sing/speak/scream thing down cold, while Liz Beidelman's drums are tight and fast. The bass and guitar boys, Andre Gallardo and Kevin "Bubba" Sur, have their amps set to extra-crunchy, just the way they should be.

The eleven tracks on The Mercury Project range from straight-ahead, really fast and unintelligible chunkachunka hardcore to more tuneful sing-along pop-punk numbers, with plenty of sweat and passion to keep things energized all the way through. The boys get to sing on a few tracks, and somehow I find those to be the least interesting cuts on the disc. Maybe it's because the generic "boy shouting" sound they employ has lost its edge after 20 years. Luckily, Ms. Levy does most of the singing and shouting, which is just fine by me.

"House Arrest" is probably my favorite track on the disc; it has a classic punk rock chord progression, "rebellious" lyrics and a great group chorus. Another nice one is "Sloop Jon B", although I can't help thinking of Discount's EP of Billy Bragg covers every time Luckie Strike launches into the familiar melody. "Shutdown: Simmer" spews out the rawest emotion on the disc; I'm betting it's a great tune to see the band play live.

The Mercury Project is a lot of fun. It isn't terribly distinctive or original, and even with a really good singer and sharp musicians, Luckie Strike's formula is sounding a bit tired. Nonetheless, this is a spirited, energized and good-sounding CD.