FROM THE WOOZY thump of "stoner rock" to Sleater-Kinney's newfound affinity for Blue Cheer, heavy has become hip for indie-rockers. Gist, a local trio, has gotten heavier, too, although that becomes really obvious only halfway through the band's new album, "Diesel City." Outfitted with a five-minute instrumental workout and an exemplary '70s-rock title, "On the Road" allows singer-guitarist Nayan Bhula, drummer Fred Burton and bassist Finley Martin to reveal their inner arena-rockers.

Aside from that swaggering opus and the jokingly honky-tonking title song, "Diesel City" is not a major departure. The band's songs have become more expansive, but other elements remain in classic alt-rock mode: The melodies' sound has a folkie plaintiveness, and Bhula's falsetto signifies yearning and regret rather than Robert Plant-like supernatural mastery. "Time erases what you were," warns "Teen Agers," while "360 Degrees" laments that "People never change/They just rearrange." If such lyrics suggest defeat, the music puts up more resistance. With their surging tempos and teetering guitar lines, such rockers as "Eclipse" and "Asunder" demonstrate that Gist has rearranged for the better.

-- Mark Jenkins