UUVVWWZ, "Self-titled": The amusingly named Lincoln band re-releases its remixed, remastered debut album Tuesday through Saddle Creek Records.

The past few months have been a whirlwind of buzz and Web chatter for the local four-piece. Since their Saddle Creek signing, they've been the topic of a post on Wired's blog, and they just scored a review (a good one) on Pitchfork.com.

But all newfound exposure and name speculation aside, how's the music?

Those who've seen a UUVVWWZ show know the band's a jaunty, sharp-edged bunch prone to abrupt shifts in mood, tone, even genre.

And their record reflects the exhilarating randomness of their live shows. Frontwoman Teal Gardner's manic mix of mellow, scream and chirp moves both with and against the music. Sometimes she's in perfect harmony to the songs. Sometimes she's fighting them. Whatever direction the elements are headed, the songs work, sometimes awesomely. Highlights include the nervy rockers "Jap Dad" and "Shark Suit."

This is a solid debut from a band with a good grasp on who they are and where they're going. Grade: A-

- Micah Mertes

Jayhawks, "Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology": In the late '80s, the Jayhawks appeared on the Minneapolis music scene, playing then-little-heard country rock. They thereby became one of the first and most influential bands in the "No Depression"/alternative country movement of the past two decades.

As is often the case, the Jayhawks never became a household name, but they are revered for a reason: They were simply brilliant, combining the vocal harmonies of Mark Olson and Gary Louris with intertwined country/folk guitar and always solid beats. The writing was consistently superb, creating songs that stick in the memory years later.

"Music from the North Country" is a well-deserved two-CD set that looks back at the Jayhawks' 1989-2003 career, including recordings from both indie label Twin/Town and major American Recordings. The first disc is the "hits," or, to be more accurate, the best songs from the band, which took a more experimental turn (a la Wilco but a decade earlier) when Olson left the band in 1995. Disc two is a "rarities" compilation that makes the disc a must-have for Jayhawks fans; 14 of its 20 tracks have not previously been released. Completing the package is a DVD of music videos and live performance clips taken from electronic press kits that put visuals to the sound.

Olson and Louris have reunited and put out a record together earlier this year. The Jayhawks are playing their first show with Olson and Louris since 1995 this week in Minneapolis. That bodes well for a return of one of the best bands of the past 20 years. "Music from the North Country" shows why they need to be heard from again. Grade: B+

- L. Kent Wolgamott