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Think of it as 90's female-fronted rock minus the angst. Firebug serves up a blend of alternative and roots rock with plenty of blues on the side. "Fragile" is the Chicago-based group's follow-up to "Buzzin' High," which received some buzz of its own on college radio stations across the U.S. After relocating in Los Angeles, Firebug has become a household name on the Hollywood underground club circuit.
Guitarist Jules Shapiro dots the songs with plenty of blues phrasing and chords. Bassist Miiko Watanabe's distinctive roving bass lines that fuel the progressions coupled with Ty Dennis's drumming that perpetually drives the songs onward pop up consistently throughout the album's 11 songs. Occasionally, the disc shifts gears to wannabe 80's pop. "Want it Need it," even features singer Juliette Tworsey on a mini moog. It is through such spoonfuls of creativity that the songs don't get too monotonous despite the recurring bass and tom lines.

The title track is a slowed down, anthemic rocker with vocals that range from sublime to soaring to silly ("Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah") and Jules even tosses in a snippet of noise guitar for good measure. Slide guitar and a flamboyant chorus dominate "Least You Can Do." The march-a-long "White Picket Fences" is one of the discs best songs, as Tworsey sings about lost friends and the insatiable desire for home. The song features spaced out guitar that will be sure to spin heads and churn stomachs. "Left for Dead" is a somber ballad that could pass for a psychedelic electric rendition of mediaeval mourning song.

Tworsey's voice occasionally reeks of Gwen Stephani ("Wars to Win," "Old Friend") with its pixie dust vibrato, but for the most part, her voice is unique. It's not beautiful, in the same way that Firebug's lyrics aren't poetry, but both have an eerie appeal to them. By the end of the disc, however, it will probably be refreshing to have her voice out of your ears. The abundant repetition of "I don't wanna be like YOU" on "Be like you" can be particularly cacophonous.

Though the album isn't particularly memorable, the band certainly has potential. The songs would fare better with more melody and less blues. Though this album may bug you, it's hard to fire this band.