Thrillsphere, Girl Trouble's sophomore release, opens with the Shel Silverstein-penned frightfest "Marie LaVeau," which gives some indication as to the band's lyrical concerns on this high-octane disc: witchy women, prison bettys, coffee mamas -- girl trouble of every kind (the good, the bad, and the ugly). The Steve Fisk-produced platter features 12 tracks of hard-charging garage rock likely to appeal to fans of the Cramps, the A-Bones, and the Honeymoon Killers. If there isn't as much variety here as on subsequent releases, nor are there any duds ("Warpath" may be the weakest track, but not quite weak enough to the sabotage the rest). Standouts include "Bring on the Dancing Girls," "Gotta Get a Little Bit," and "Neko Loves Rock 'n' Roll," a tribute to former Tacoma resident Neko Case, a regular at their early shows who has cited the band as an inspiration on her own (now Vancouver-based) music career. "When Opposites Attract" was also released as a single (as were CD bonus tracks "Cleopatra & the Slaves" and "Homework"). Just as Thrillsphere opened with a colorful cover, it closes with another, "Thirteen Women," a gender switch on the Ann-Margret chestnut "Thirteen Men," with K.P. blasting away on the saxophone while guitarist Kahuna takes on the vocals for a change. ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy