Think of it as Not-So-OK Computer. This Modesto, Calif., space-pop quintet's wittily titled second album is also fittingly titled. The Sophtware Slump's 11 electronic excursions are superb, bittersweet tales of technological tragedy -- from lost pilots and malfunctioning programs to obsolete appliances and a drunken, suicidal robot named Jed. But if you picture a soulless techno backdrop for these mournful mechanical missives, reboot your hard drive. Singer-keyboardist Jason Lytle's country-tinged harmonies, gritty production, buzzing rock guitars and sweetly earnest melodies provide the perfect human counterpoint to the technological dystopia of its lyrics. To put it another way, Sophtware Slump is like a love song by an android with artificial intelligence -- and a broken heart.

Track Listing 1.He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot
  02.Hewlett's Daughter
  03.Jed The Humanoid
  04.Crystal Lake
  05.Chartsengrafs
  06.Underneath The Weeping Willow
  07.Broken Household Appliance National Forest
  08.Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)
  09.E. Kenievel Interlude (The Perils Of Keeping It Real)
  10.Miner At The Dial-A-View
  11.So You'll Aim Toward The Sky