The punk/swing bands, a garish novelty only a few years ago, aren't quite so edgy now. In fact, there's something sad about how the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, on their latest release, seem to be trying to escape the gimmick that launched them. Do they break new ground? Take a few risks? Shatter preconceptions? No -- they just broaden their derivative trip.

"Grand Mal" is a dollop of psychedelic pop, complete with tweezy analog synths, folky acoustic guitar strums, and Day-Glo lyrics ("yellow leaves fall all around me"). "Diamond Light Boogie" lifts its tub-thump rhythm riff from "Lust for Life." Raw punk rears up on "Irish Whiskey," only to be undercut by Steve Perry's tuneful, inexpressive vocals. Stevie Wonder insinuations color Perry's phrasing and the "Superstitious" horn fills on "My Mistake." Jazz dust flavors several tracks, with noir chords and shout choruses, yet the heavy tread of Daniel Schmid's bass guitar and drummer Tim Donahue's merciless assault on the backbeat -- even when wielding brushes -- butts against the hipster horns.

Onstage, none of this would matter much. But on disc the skewed focus and absence of urgency make the case that the Daddies, and arguably the whole retro swing thing, are still driven more by fashion than by musical necessity.