TWIST have the makings of a supergroup, and if this isn't just a one-off it'll be interesting to see which way the road twists. Their NEW CD.. "Somewhere in Between" ..falls in with the modern rock antics of IME, OLP and the rest of the hooligans, but with a tad more electronica. TWIST's recording debut, "Somewhere in Between", is a tightly played, immaculately produced collection of mainstream hard rock that only sounds a little bit like Econoline Crush. I'm being facetious, of course, since TWIST contains a few former members of EC (and the way Trevor Hurst goes through bandmates, it's only a matter of time before every rock act in town boasts one or two Econoline alumni).

TWIST never gets as heavy as Econoline at its most rampageous or as poppy as that band at its most radio-friendly. With its powerhouse combination of meaty, guitar-driven grooves and soaring vocals, TWIST stakes out a pleasing middle ground, which makes the title of this disc particularly appropriate.

The quartet's use of programmed rhythms and electronic accents is old news, but there are a few unique touches to the TWIST sound, such as the congas that enliven "In Your Head". Congas! In a hard-rock song! For some reason, it works.

Singer Blaine Braun has a powerful set of pipes that recalls Tool/Perfect Circle frontfreak Maynard James Keenan. Like Keenan, Braun is basically a belter, but it suits the material, which is uniformly strong. And you gotta love a band willing to take a crack at the Stampeders' "Wild Eyes".

TWIST gets bonus points for bowing in with a 27-minute release. More indie acts need to learn the valuable lesson that just because a CD can hold 70 minutes of music, you needn't feel obliged to fill it. Always leave 'em wanting more, kids.