Juan Pulido

Brasco, Dollybraid The Aardvark, 2905 W Berry St, FW Thursday 9pm, $7, 817-926-7814

Until relatively recently, public appearances of Fort Worth's angst-edged rockers Brasco have been few and woefully far between. Having spent the final months of 2000 hunkered down in unknown locations, weaving together disparate shards of melody and melancholy, the band is now unveiling a spanking collection of its newest tunes.

The months away from the stage have infused the band with a renewed strength of purpose. Now completely comfortable in its incarnation as a four-piece, Brasco's sonic assault is now even more forthright and piercing than ever before. With shimmering guitar lines layered over a broodingly fierce rhythm section, the band wraps itself around singer/songwriter Kevin Aldridge's affecting and high-pitched vocals as he breathes meat onto his alienated lyrical bones.

Alternately emotionally vigorous and reflective, Brasco tunes may take a few seconds to needle their way into your head, but once there, they're remarkably difficult to shift.