With two prior albums, the Los Angeles-based, three-piece group The 88 has returned to establish their pop-punk, keyboard-centric sound as a more stylized version of The Fray. Having gained most of their notoriety vis-a-vis the television shows we love to hate like “The O.C.,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Laguna Beach” and “The Real World,” it isn’t hard to place their generic, poppy sound into any camera shot of a Seattle or Southern California scenic panorama slowly panning away from a shiny convertible full of young blonde girls.

Despite the band’s continual, shameless indulgence in some of pop culture’s most embarrassing exploits yet, the band has a lot of potential beyond the boob tube’s limited framework. Their latest album, Not Only…But Also, proves their energetic forays into conventional pop are more interesting than one may be led to believe.

Lead singer Keith Slettedahl’s vocals are incredibly textured with a throbbing, powerful quality that creates a genuinely emotional effect. The lyrics are nothing special as they simply touch on the basic themes of love and pain, but Slettedahl’s gift for earnest, soulful expression is precisely what makes these songs appealing for television. He revisits the lyrics we’ve heard again and again with a more poignant, fun approach that is strikingly catchy.

The best song is definitely the third track “Coming Home.” Also featured on their second album, Over and Over, this song highlights the band’s willingness to take a strong concept and improve it. Just as we can’t get over hearing Andrew Bird’s countless remakes of “Heretics,” this approach is a great way to reinvent a sound and also please loyal fans who will recognize the old, faithful and very capable melody.

While The 88 has brought together a sound reminiscent of Matt Costa’s earnest, folk-inspired guitar tunes and Keane’s edgy indie-pop melodies, they’ve attempted a few ballads that are painfully slow and uninspired. With an attempt at a Beatles-like rumination, songs like “No One Here” and “Save Your Breath” bore the listener with steady, plodding vocals and percussion parts that distract from the mediocre melody.

“Like You Do” departs from the somber sentiment as a psychedelic, twangy experiment in sound characterized by a homey feel that succeeds in really capturing the listener’s attention.

“Waiting for the Next Drug” and “We Felt Alive” finish out the album with the same familiar appeal found previously in the band’s efforts. Even-toned melodies and elevated rhythms are basic elements to these tunes that one could return to again and again.

Although The 88 has a fresh, clear sound that is honest in its subscription to convention, it isn’t an album worth spending hard-earned beer money on, especially considering the band’s tendency to overly commercialize their sound by placing these tunes in mainstream television shows. That said, The 88 has the potential to go beyond serving as a rich teenage girl’s lamentation and instead poke its head into something independent of conformist customs and SoCal concerns. This will require the band to capitalize on Slettedahl’s captivating sound, push the lyrics beyond simple thematic formulas and continue with the catchy piano and guitar parts that combine to form very rigorous and worthwhile, charismatic pop.

2 out of 5 stars.