Although they've been playing toughened but accessible rock music in their native Australia for years now, the Clouds' new album arrives in the wake of the tsunami of popular women-fronted pop/rock bands (Breeders, Elastica, Veruca Salt) washing onto the shores of the alternative scene. Gutsy girl vocals from guitarist Jodi Phillis and bassist Patricia Young propel the band's racing guitars and stylized rhythms, making Thunderhead a cornucopia of powerful, radio-ready pop songs (the Clouds should prime themselves for large scale success). But the Clouds aren't just a band with a female facade; the four work together as intricate machinery pieces and even "Domino," with its male vocals, continues the thematic, aggressive pop. Though there is the obligatory sex song ("Bower Of Bliss"), on Thunderhead the band stretches away from formulaic patterns and makes diversity a key ingredient, as the album waffles back and /forth from power pop to ballad rock. The best of the stratosphere: "Bower Of Bliss," "Alchemy's Dead," "Close My Eyes," and the thunderous ending of "The Rocket."

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