A SMART DECISION

A band worth its salt will opt for making an album over working on summer tans any day of the week.

Choosing a recording studio over the sun, The Brilliant Mistakes have spent recent months in a dark Bronx basement facility called Lincoln's Log Cabin with producer Lincoln Schleifer. In a recent e-mail, the musicians claimed their "lily-white skin" is a testament to their commitment "to make the best album of our questionable career."

Whether in conversation or with lyrics, the crafty New York power-pop band has a way with words. Musically and sonically, singer/bassist Erik Philbrook says his group has broadened its horizons this time around, using a variety of vintage keyboards and compressors.

"I'm really excited about 'Becoming,' " says Philbrook. "It has sort of a dreamy, stream-of-consciousness vibe to it. I had always imagined it as a very quiet, acoustic song. In the studio, Lincoln suggested using a drum effect he found on this vintage Hammond Aurora Classic organ. When we recorded the song, he cranked up this drum track, and we played to it to great effect. The recorded song now has this casual funk to it that I never expected.

Thematically, says Philbrook, there are a few "post-9/11 songs” on the new album, "but they weren't written necessarily in response to that event. I guess they just resonate differently in light of the world in the past few years. So, in that regard, they are about soldiering on, trying to live the life that's in front of you, and not letting the distress of our times keep you down."

The new Brilliant Mistakes album, the follow-up to 2003's Dumb Luck, should see the light of day in November via Aunt Mimi's Records, the band's own label. Meanwhile, listen for some new material at 9 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 30) when the group performs at The Living Room, 154 Ludlow St. in Manhattan. Call (212) 533-7235 for more information.