No kidding. When a band doesn't sound like anyone else, critics stumble all over their record collections to find comparisons. Despite a hardcore name, 10,000 Maniacs are a band devoted to "pretty music," says keyboard player Dennis Drew. That covers everything from reggae to British folk to Eno-esque electronics.

They formed in Jamestown, New York, near Lake Erie, a little over three years ago. Touring up and down the East Coast, they played for whatever they could earn in any town where one of the six members knew someone who'd let them sleep on the floor. They built a following in Georgia and briefly relocated to Atlanta, where they became friends with R.E.M. and other local heroes.

Since they still weren't making money, the Maniacs returned to Jamestown and lived with their parents when they weren't on the road. They played England, got a lot of press and had an indie hit there. Upon returning to America they signed with Elektra, who'll release their first major label album this spring.

Merchant's garret-land lyrics are fairly challenging compared to average rock dumbness. Many of 10,000 Maniacs' "pretty" songs are about war, nuclear weapons, even toxic defoliants. (Merchant has a second cousin with no arms as a result of Agent Orange.) Her writing is full of references to childhood, and enough Roman Catholic iconography to decorate a convent. Add melody and the band's wistful playing,and you get images of lost innocence and questioning adolescents.