Editor’s Note: In Sound Advice, the first Friday of every month, BDN entertainment writer Dale McGarrigle, former British music-press writer Adam Corrigan and a revolving stable of BDN writers review new albums from across the musical spectrum.

“Young for Eternity” (Sire) – The Subways

I know it’s getting hard to keep up with the flood of new-millennium New Wave that has been washing across the Atlantic during the last few years, but that’s no excuse for missing out on The Subways.

All barely out of school, this boyfriend-girlfriend-his brother act is literally adorable and probably tempting fate with that kind of lineup. Still, frontman Billy Lunn’s idols Oasis managed to eke out a small career despite a similarly flammable membership.

The Subways also share with Oasis an ear for raucous harmonies and sound closest to the Gallaghers on the fuzzed-up crunch of the single “Rock and Roll Queen” (as heard on “The OC,” kids!) When they want to do straight-ahead rock, The Subways have little trouble tossing out grenades like “Oh Yeah,” which shows they can perform the three-chord ritual as well as anyone.

But with Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) on production duties, “Young for Eternity” refuses to settle into the obvious ruts along this path. Broudie’s influence is clearly heard on the Scouse pop of “Mary,” and the maturity of much of the songwriting on the album is at times remarkable for such a young band. Where many others would simply cut loose a full sonic attack, Lunn, bassist Charlotte Cooper and drummer Josh Morgan often manage to imbue their music with a space and tension lacking on many lesser albums.

There’s probably nothing much that’s going to stop this year being the year of the Arctic Monkeys, but if you do check out a second British band in 2006, make sure it’s The Subways. – Adam Corrigan

“Morph the Cat” (Reprise) – Donald Fagen

Another decade, another Donald Fagen album.

“Morph the Cat” follows 1982’s “The Nightfly” and 1993’s “Kamakiriad” to complete a trilogy in which the Steely Dan co-founder examines what’s happening to him and around him at that time.

What’s on the mind of the 58-year-old Fagen? Not surprisingly, mortality, but also love as well. And paranoia and homeland security. Just think of “Morph the Cat” as a snapshot of the life and times of Donald Fagen.

What makes these dark reflections much more enjoyable is Fagen’s trademark blend of jazz, soul and rock. Fagen recorded the album with musicians that he has played with for years, and that comfort level comes through.

It’s great that Fagen has returned. Now, is it too much to ask for more regular production out of him and-or Steely Dan? – Dale McGarrigle

“Show Your Bones” (Interscope) – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

“Show Your Bones,” the new LP from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, finds the band stepping away from the swagger and sneers of 2003’s breakthrough album “Fever to Tell.” It seems the MTV success of single “Maps” taught the trio that heartfelt ballads go over just as well as freaked-out garage rock. That’s not to say, however, that “Bones” is boring or sentimental. Instead, it shows that the band isn’t afraid of trying something different.

Where “Fever” was frantic, “Bones” is controlled, though never rigid. Guitarist Nick Zinner experiments, bringing in acoustic guitar, different effects and less angular melodies, as on the near-perfect lead single “Gold Lion” and the fuzzy, funky “Phenomena.” Brian Chase, a powerful drummer, is also less concerned with driving home the musical point with punishing drum fills, and opts for a more nuanced, dense approach, as on the gutsy, seething “Fancy.”

Charismatic front-woman Karen O, as opposed to hiccuping, panting and screaming, actually sings, though she still peppers her singing with some of the endlessly entertaining tics for which she’s famous. “Cheated Hearts,” another standout track, is both arrestingly rocking and emotionally complex, thanks to O’s commanding vocal presence.

Strangely enough, “Bones” actually brings to mind Led Zeppelin’s third album, where the band departed from its early raw blues stomp and worked with some of the folk and Indian music it had been absorbing. “Bones” is the sound of a band going from underground favorites to nationally known stars, and in the case of the YYY’s, it’s a very, very good sound. If only other successful indie bands could undergo such a seamless transition. – Emily Burnham

“One Tree Hill – Friends with Benefit and Music from the WB Television Series” (Warner Sunset/Maverick) – Various artists

Whether you’ve seen the WB TV series or not, it’s hard not to like a CD stuffed with solid offerings from such established musical artists with wide appeal as Jimmy Eat World, Gavin DeGraw, Sheryl Crow, Audioslave, Story of the Year and Fall Out Boy. Add to that the inclusion of talented up-and-comers such as Feeder (“Feeling a Moment”), Keane (“Everybody’s Changing”), Butch Walker (“Mixtape”) and Haley James Scott (“Halo”) and these soundtracks are worth a listen. Unexpected bonuses such as a duet between Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp under the name of The Wreckers on “The Good Kind,” a live version of DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” and Tyler Hilton doing a cover of John Waite’s “Missing You” add to the appeal of both these CDs. Oh, and no, you don’t have to be a fan or a follower of “One Tree Hill” to appreciate the music. – Andrew Neff