Sound Soldier

"I like to live in a cartoon," whispers Sweetnam in a sultry squeak on the aptly named track "Cartoon." We know, Skye, we know. True, we missed your hit debut album, Noises from the Basement, released in 2004 when you were still a teenager. But silly song titles like "Music Is My Boyfriend" and "Babydoll Gone Wrong" made us suspect you hadn't put your teens behind you, and the perky pop goodness of Sound Soldier confirmed our suspicions. The general vibe is upbeat electro-pop, with lots of guitar and percussion adding some edge. That edge is sometimes underlined and sometimes undermined by the lightweight, standard-issue attitude of the lyrics, which sometimes fire out young pique with a wink and sneer but other times devolve into musical neener-neeners. It's kind of like Gwen Stefani: the bubblegum years. Sweetnam's one misstep is getting all moody on the airy "Scary Love." Every other song here is good fun, from the straight-up rocker "Kiss a Girl" to the ska-tastic "Into Action" to the danceable loops of "Boyhunter." This is music that doesn't trust anyone over 30; if you can pass, get ready for the best trip to the mall you've had in a long time.