By Eric J. Iannelli

The Mother Hips stopped performing together in 2001, tired and frustrated from a decade spent fighting the good fight. But they found it even harder to stay away from the school of hard knocks, and the Red Tandy EP marks their official return to full-time status.

This four-song EP (sorry, only two songs on the 7") is no radical change for the Hips, who have always reveled in a sun-drenched Americana reminiscent of The Byrds, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Buffalo Springfield, hitting their critical sweet spot on their farewell album, Green Hills of Earth; nor will it shake the very foundations of pop. The retro feel of all three proper tracks – "Red Tandy," the more hard-hitting "Colonized," and the more bong-hitting "Blue Tomorrow" – is as authentic as it is anachronistic, making bands like Velvet Crush and Teenage Fanclub seem positively avant-garde by comparison. Yet it's hard not to get hooked on the golden Matthew Sweet-type vocal harmonies and the classic guitar riff that drives "Colonized."

The alternate version of "Red Tandy," a Sergeant Pepper-sounding remix by Ben Kweller that closes out the CD, will likely be the cherry on top that sends dedicated Hips fans in search of this disc. A few additional tracks of equal quality might have made it more than a collector's item. As it stands, however, it's only an all-too-brief prelude to the band's forthcoming LP.