POP STARS **** Great Balls of Fire...

POP STARS **** Great Balls of Fire *** Good Vibrations ** Maybe Baby * Running on Empty

THROWING MUSES “Hunkpapa.” Sire

*** 1/2 These New Englanders have always been rock lobsters: Their music requires a good deal of cracking, poking and prying on the listener’s part, but over the course of four previous releases, the richness of what’s inside has made it worth the effort.

With “Hunkpapa,” the Muses--three women and a male drummer--have let their previously guarded pop instincts protrude from the shell, with savory effect. “Dizzy” and “Angel” offer sunbursts of melody that could make the Bangles jealous. A humorous country tune finds singing step-sisters Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly harmonizing as slyly as the Roche sisters.

Other treats include a strange stab at brassy blues, and a dissonant folk-rock rave-up that sounds like fractured Fairport Convention before it subsides into an airy, off-kilter lullaby. As always, the Muses’ lyrics are cryptic, but with effort they yield elusive strands of meaning. No interpretation is needed for the band’s sound, a striking blend of muscular rhythm and emphatic guitar riffing that simply rocks.