Although it’s fairly incoherent, bouncing back and forth between punk-pop and folky pop, Lick is a thoroughly engaging record. The tensions between Evan Dando and Ben Deily are fairly evident throughout the album, especially since Dando’s songs, with their immediate hooks and melodies, outshine his bandmate’s, but that unevenness makes the record endearingly messy. Also, the mess makes the group’s best songs, including an inspired electric cover of Suzanne Vega’s “Luka,” shine all the more brightly. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine