LOOPER'S NEW album, The Geometrid, is an exploration in sheetwall construction -- the boss' kid with a nail gun; a comparison of tool belts; hiding a fear of heights behind bravado. It's a brand-new pair of workbooks, and blisters worn with pride.

Yes, from the very first song on The Geometrid, Belle & Sebastian fans will notice something different. Stuart David, of Belle & Sebastian, created Looper -- and it is, quite aggressively, a very masculine project. Whereas the appeal of Belle & Sebastian lies in the feminine, almost lacy narrative nature of their songwriting, Looper features big beats, chunky distortion, and techno structure.

Perhaps it's dangerous to use the loaded attributes "masculine" and "feminine" to discuss music -- but they must still be useful, if emotively understood, terms. Masculine and feminine have nothing to do with the gender of the music's creator -- Prince has created some of the most feminine music of the past two decades. "Masculine" music is beat-driven, linear. Reggae is very masculine; thus its popularity with frat boys. "Feminine" music is closer to the word's etymology: musing, impressionistic, able to convey a feeling instead of inducing one.

The Geometrid kicks off with an aerobic track, "Mondo '77," which intersperses dance-beat drums with big brass and some guy urging the dancer to "C'mon, c'mon; keep it goin', keep it goin'. Yeah." It's highly aggressive, testosterone-driven music; "Mondo '77" would be a super song for practicing boxing feints, if nothing else.

The following track, "On the Flipside," bleats with distortion and what sounds like a synthesized harmonica. Lyrics like "I'm on the flipside of the sun/It's the place for having fun/I'm frozen by a nameless fear" throw back to '80s, glam-boy, Top-40 crocodile tears. And then there's the track "Uncle Ray," made up of cowbell sounds and the harmonized bridge, "Hey, Uncle Ray/Hey, hey, Uncle Ray," obviously inspired by playground jump-rope chants.

The only possibly "narrative" song on The Geometrid is track number eight, "My Robot," which tells the story of a kid who decides to try to teach his robot to write all his songs. He wires him up according to the book, switches him on, and nothing happens. "He just lies in pieces in the corner of the room, totally useless." This song, of course, can only be read as a broad metaphor for by-the-book songwriting. It could also be taken as a slipstream apology for the entire album.

It's clever, but compare Looper's lyrics to the opening of Belle & Sebastian's "Stars of Track and Field" -- "Make a new cult every day to suit your affairs/Kissing girls in English, at the back of the stairs/You're a honey, with a following of innocent boys" -- and it's clear that communication isn't Looper's strong point. Looper's strong points are soccer tactics, a healthy grip, and an understanding of the intricacies of plumbing. Looper's got good beats, some creative background texture, and a sense of economy.

Belle & Sebastian, on the other hand, will always remember your birthday. Stuart David, you've built your robot -- now run back home to Mommy.