How many cooks make the best possible broth? Apollo 9 knows the answer. Nine people, including two lead singers, a violinist or two and a trumpeter, play on Nothing Matters, usually all at the same time. Whitney Jackson's pure, silky vocals play off Soren Davis's tormented growls and chokes, while the instrumental army chugs along like a Midwestern tornado. Davis and bassist Scott Sendra are veterans of a bunch of little-known, but excellent mid-Michigan bands, including the notorious Snake River, and Apollo 9's been a local favorite for years on the strength of its superb live shows. What brings the whole unruly melange together is Davis's fresh, charming songwriting, which can sound like grinding midtempo punk, old-time hillbilly music and a lost Motown hit all at once, and which consistently gets across genuine emotion. When Jackson sings "It just doesn't feel right/It just doesn't feel right/I guess I'll step out for a beer," it's heartbreaking. This is as distinctive and memorable a debut album as we've heard in a while; in places, it's still a little rough around the edges, but parts of it have been in the can for over two years, so the band promises new recordings soon. Check out "Satellite," "I Ain't Leavin'," "Stupid, Stupid" and the wrenching closer "It Doesn't Matter."

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