South San Gabriel: Thu with Brent Best (Slobberbone) and Anders Parker (Varnaline) at the Aardvark, 2905 W Berry, FW. 817-926-7814.

First: South San Gabriel is not a band per se, but a lo-fi, alt-country-y quasi-band that's been together about as long as Centro-matic's South San Gabriel Songs/Music album has been on the streets, about two years. Basically, South San Gabriel is Centro-matic, playing the Songs/Music tunes that didn't make the cut and leaning on other North Texas-area musos to help make those songs shine. Just think of South San Gabriel as a slower, moodier, mellower, more populated Centro-matic. (Another thing is that, to us, the name change seems like just an efficient way for longtime scenesters to accommodate some new, unusual, and good music they've happened upon. But to our friends across the pond, it's a whole 'nother something: Centro-matic actually changed its name to South San Gabriel as Songs/Music hit the streets over there. The boys in the band figured they'd make things easy on those none-too-bright Limeys and introduce both the SSG band and SSG album at the same time. Two birds with one stone and all that.)

Second: Whoever they are, they produce tightly woven, intricate tableaux of lazy beats, meandering guitars, occasional piano, and somber lyrics -- ya know, the stuff of indie alt-country. SSG's record, which was released in April, goes under the brilliant title of Welcome, Convalescence, and it's essentially a bucket of raindrops under the aegis of a c.d. The lyrical ability of frontman/genius Will Johnson to be heartfelt yet unsentimental and actually sound wry and pithy while he's at it is on full display here. There aren't many songsmiths -- here or anywhere -- who can reduce a line that would sound funny on paper to an epitaph the way Johnson can. Girl, you know it's true: A heartbreaker by any other name is a heartbreaker just the same. Will will be Will.