Vue

Judging by looks, Vue could be mistaken for any other MTV-friendly yet still-kinda-indie band with dirty denim and mussed hair. By sound, they could be, too, with singer/guitarist Rex Shelverton's full-bodied drawl sounding very Julian Casablancas-esque, while the rest of the five-piece fills in the Stooges-meets-the Rolling Stones blanks behind him. Wait, no, not exactly. Vue has harmonica solos and a female keyboard player. But there's something else about Vue. Something a little grittier, rhythms a bit sexier, not so pretentious. There's more snarl and spitfire, especially live, with the supposed RCA full-length debut, Down for Whatever ("postponed indefinitely," according to Vue's Web site, although copies have circulated online), sounding slick and almost as overprocessed as Courtney Love's hair.