Pop fueled rock finds its place in California sun

California rockers Lit manage to do something with their latest release, Atomic, that few other breakout bands do: avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.\nLit entered public consciousness two years ago with its major label debut, A Place in the Sun, which spawned hit singles including "My Own Worst Enemy," "Miserable" and "Zip-lock." Atomic maintains the none-too-subtle commercial appeal of the first album while simultaneously improving upon their standard pop-rock formula. The hooks and licks are sharper while the lyrics are a tad more insightful.\nAtomic finds its footing upon its two introductory tracks, "Something to Someone" and "The Last Time Again;" these tunes epitomize Lit at its best. Essentially, the songs are flawless hard rock/pop medleys. The placement of these tracks detracts slightly from the rest of the album because the momentum simply isn't maintained. But mellow tunes including "Happy in the Meantime," "Slip," "She Comes" and "Live for This" give the album a sense of stability and are good in their own right. As is the disc's bonus track "Over My Head," which is highly reminiscent of the works on A Place in the Sun.\nLit co-produced the album with Don Gilmore, best known for his work with Sugar Ray, Eve 6 and Linkin Park. He also manned the boards on A Place in the Sun. His work here is fairly similar to the material he's produced with the other artists, especially the latest Sugar Ray album, but it's capable nonetheless.\nLit prove to be a solid collective. Brothers A.Jay and Jeremy Popoff write solid yet unoriginal pop rock numbers and fill their positions at lead vocals and guitar quite nicely. And bassist Kevin Baldes and drummer Allen Shellenberger provide a solid backbeat to the proceedings. \nWhile Lit produces nothing more than likable pop-fueled rock tunes the sheer saccharine nature of the music can grow grating at times. Atomic is a good album, but one that is best enjoyed in small doses.