IT would be interesting to find out whether playing in a rock and roll band in which two of the other members are a 'couple' is as much of a nightmare as sharing a flat with two of your mates who've recently 'got it together'.

Mink Lungs are one of many bands 'with couple', namely, Gian Carlo Feleppa (guitar, samples, and vocals) and Jennifer Hoopes (bass and vocals).

The story of the pop band from Brooklyn, who play Cardiff next month, begins with them working in the same diner in a small town.

They moved to the big city together where they recruited Jennifer's brother Tim Feleppa (vocals, guitar), and if three wasn't crowd enough, a Tom Galbraith (drums and vocals) was then drafted.

What evolved from there is a moderately talented combo with a penchant for meandering, mildly surreal songs and a preference for presentation and production over content.

There's a faintly Flaming Lips-like instrumentation on their second album, I'll Take It, which is out on Arena Rock Recordings on Monday, July 14.

Like third year drama grads they recreate popular moments in pop and rock history like so many exercises in phases of theatre.

The Kinks, Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band, Tom Waits and the Velvet Underground all lend a sound or two, as is typical in the repertoire of any of the power-pop bands from the States we're led to believe is the next big hope for popular music.

The most interesting moments are the samples, such as the end of Pugnose Apt. which trails into scrambled sitar which one might have mistaken for talent if one hadn't read the liner notes.

Spoken word verses give way to one line choruses. The sampler tends to accompany the former while distorted guitar does the latter.

There are stabs at the deranged in lyrics which often suffer from deliberate attempts at sleaze; like made to order graffiti, they're meant to shock.

In a word - Mink Lungs are boring. Their record company signed them before they'd seen a live performance, their press release boasts. So if their performance on Thursday, July 17, in Barfly, Cardiff stinks, ARR have a good excuse.