TRAINED ANIMALS

Midway through the White Animals’ set at Raji’s Saturday, singer-guitarist Kevin Gray said, “We’re a band from Nashville, Tennessee, and here’s a song we hope you like.” Then the quintet lit into “Caught Up in the Dread,” a reggae tune complete with echoey “dub” effects.

If it sounds like the White Animals have a few tricks up their tattered sleeves, you’re reading the group loud and clear. The band specializes in ‘60s-flavored pop songs--turning them over, under, sideways, down until they’re contemporary and uniquely their own.

Mix in a delightfully twisted choice of outside material and you’ve got a nifty little pop band having a lot of fun.