im Foljahn seems to have a thing for playing with Sonic Youth drummers. In his main band, Two Dollar Guitar, and several other projects, Steve Shelley has been his primary collaborator. And now he\'s playing bass in original SY drummer Bob Bert’s latest band, Int’l Shades. Perhaps next he’ll make an album with that guy who played the garage attendant in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Bert formed Int’l Shades after the demise of his last band, the Knoxville Girls; drafting Foljahn, Mark C. of Live Skull, and Dorien Garry, who’s perhaps known best for her stint as one of Ted Leo’s Pharmacists. In short, Int’l Shades is one of those collections of mid-level indie lifers that frequently gets mislabeled a supergroup.

The band’s debut album doesn’t exactly feel tossed-off, but it’s not particularly substantial either. And the jokey title, Hash Wednesday, doesn’t help. It’s almost too tempting to speculate that the songs actually were conceived during weekly bong sessions, given the listless, laid back riffage that dominates the album.

Album opener \"Invisible Lives\" features a winding, high pitched lead guitar line that sounds like something the Meat Puppets’ Curt Kirkwood would’ve played back in the day, and several tracks achieve a nice indie guitar swing. But in general, the sonic makeup remains the same from song to song, Mark C.’s lackadaisical strum and Garry’s whirring organ static and unchanging. And Bert, underground rock veteran though he may be, only seems to know one fucking beat these days.

Mark C., who dominates the mic most of the time, is a classic vocal non-entity, speak-singing as if he’s got something to say, but so low in the mix that’s near impossible to tell what he’s saying. Perhaps it’s the welcome break in the album’s uniformity, but the songs where the other members get a turn on the mic are easy highlights. Foljahn sings lead on \"Ride This Ride,\" a bluesy showcase for his low, hangdog voice that’s good to hear again after too many years without a new Two Dollar Guitar album. Garry handles backup vocals on several songs, taking the lead on \"Shine On\" as a shy indie chanteuse over an unexpectedly funky bass groove.

A lineup featuring the distinguished alumni of other bands is always a mixed blessing for a new band. With recognition come expectations that are not easily met. The members of Int’l Shades may feel that Hash Wednesday is up there with the best work they’ve ever done, but it sounds more like a half-hearted side project. Every song chugs away in the same limp midtempo, something of a feat for a 36-minute album. So if Int’l Shades are serious enough about this band for it to be more than a one-off, hopefully they’ll learn some new tricks in time for the second album, or at least some new tempos.