Nick Luca’s past (he’s a top honcho at Tucson’s famed Wavelab Studio) and his present disc’s guest list (M. Ward, Jon Rauhouse, Calexico’s Joey & John) suggest Sick Of Love might be a dose of airy Arizona desert country rock. Instead, Luca (he uses his surname as his band name) reveals his love for hooky power-pop. The terrific opening salvo of the title track and “Melody” identifies Luca’s kinship to Matthew Sweet and Tommy Keene. The initial rush of guitar pop dissipates some in the disc’s second half, which favors mellower, more keyboard-based numbers. Luca showcases his studio savvy on his darkly funky cover of Rainer Ptacek’s “Loosin’ Ground”. He also touches upon twang; “Rosalie” and “Dominoes Fall” are foot-stompers in the Old 97’s tradition.