Bronx Cheer started as an experiment in participation in place of observation. Its three members, each at one point occupiers of indie-rock desk jobs, had been long familiar with the alternative canon before thinking about a sound of their own. Having witnessed first hand the ubiquitous buzz-to-bust life cycles in New York's finicky scene, when they finally did begin to fool with instruments they were certain to aim for sincerity over everything. Rehearsal space toe-dipping turned into some surprisingly solid covers -- MBV's "When You Sleep," the Clean's "Anything Could Happen" and whatever snippets of Dinosaur Jr. they could lock in on. With increasing confidence Steve (drums/vox), Michelle (bass/vox) and Rich (guitar/vox) began to flesh out some dusty ideas for originals. They agreed to play their first show -- dressed as Spock, Kirk and Picard at a Halloween party on the lower east side. With three EPs they've established a sound that's as honest and emotionally swollen as it is staunch in its loyalty to the era of Kim Deal and Lou Barlow. The full saturation approach to the fuzz guitar jostles the sweet, direct vocals and rhythm section. The result is pop music that's heavy in more ways than one.