MANY REVIEWS OF Portland trio Wet Confetti are quick to mention Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead. Honestly, that seems too easy, and, above all, lazy. More so than any kind of specific reference to a group that isn't Wet Confetti, the band brings to mind a time when the word "alternative" actually meant an alternative to something, rather than being the blanket mainstream term that "indie" has become in more recent years. Noise and energy used in a way that was fresh and exciting, communicating the restlessness and angst of modern youth in the same way that early punk had. Does the felt influence of the bands that quintessentially encompass these things make Wet Confetti seem nostalgic or downright dated by comparison? Absolutely not. The trendiness of folk and other mellower genres of music that have become more popular as of late actually serve to remind the listener that not only is that same kind of angst and restlessness still existent, it's important, and there will always be an enthusiastic audience for it.

There's something seductive (in that sexy, pretty, strung-out sort of way) about Alberta Poon's vocals, and so too the overall sound of the rest of the band (Daniel Grazzini, keyboard, guitar; Mike McKinnon, drums). It's music you lose yourself in, the soundtrack to the same frustrated emotion we all feel, if only on occasion. It's music that invites one to dance recklessly, in the kind of more cathartic communion not offered by a melancholy singer/songwriter and his or her acoustic guitar.

Their most recent album, This Is So Illegal (Do it Fast), is as infectious as it is raucous and rockin', and it's very easy to imagine an entire generation of young people alone in their rooms, forgetting themselves as they dance or sing along, yearning for the generalized escape that no one ever really grows out of wanting.

Wet Confetti is one of Portland's most popular bands, and it's easy to see why. Young and not-so-young alike, if you haven't seen them already, now is the perfect time.