There is an unresolved restlessness to Walter Schreifels. With a pedigree of noteworthy former acts that cover everything from the heroic stage dives of yore (Youth of Today/Gorilla Biscuit) to an unhealthy Elvis Costello obsession (Walking Concert), Schreifels is a man adrift, still trying to uncover a sound he's likely to never find. Now a decade after their stellar debut, Schreifels dusts off Rival Schools to release Pedals, an overly slick and slightly uneven follow-up to 2001's stellar United by Fate. While it's not the sort of recording one waits 10 years for, Pedals does expand the vast musical palette of an artist unwilling to settle on a single path. EZRA ACE CARAEFF