If it is possible to sum up an album in a single phrase, Lamarque Street’s Favorite Waste of Time would be “defiant melancholy.” The New Orleans trio buzzes through a dozen distortion laden tracks, channeling the influence of the best mid-’90s rock. Unfortunately, they don’t always perform at that level. Though they hit some good points, there are also moments where they end up hopelessly dating themselves.

Lamarque Street specializes in that special brand of swaying, middle-aged, beer-drinking distortion folk. The sing-along chorus on “Mad at the World” invokes images of outdoor festivals and head bobbing, but at times the song drags under its own angst. They shine on numbers like “Stumble & Fall,” where unrequited love is matched with upbeat melodies. They excel with honest, uncomplicated lyrics. There’s not much poetry, but nothing is too simple either.

However, the album begins to run together after a while. Lead singer Brett Lamarque’s affected vocals grate on “World on Fire,” which feels too heavy for a song about love and traveling. They hit their lowest with “Yada,” an embarrassing attack on modern consumer life. Criticizing iPhones and MySpace, they declare “the media makes me sick,” which are words that many rockers, young and old, live by, but it is still an unbelievably clichéd remark.

Favorite Waste of Time is a hit or miss album. Many of their songs have an easy, nonchalant quality about them, but others lag under their density. Yet even with their best songs, the album sounds as if it should have been released 15 years ago, in the heyday of distortion-folk.