Some musicians just make me sick. I've played several instruments for almost 10 years now, and I consider myself to be a fairly competent musician. But every now and then, I hear an album that makes me want to burn every musical instrument I own and take up knitting. Matt Mahaffey of Self is one of those musicians. He started playing drums at an age when most kids are still learning not to put videocassettes in the toaster. By the time he was in his mid-teens, Mahaffey had picked up guitar, keyboards and a few other instruments along the way. He began recording and producing with local hip-hop artists during the day and playing with rock bands at night, developing a modern taste for pop hooks and killer beats. After releasing a mostly self-performed album (hence the band's name) in 1995, Mahaffey enlisted the help of drummer Jason Rawlings, keyboardist/pianist Chris James, bassist Mac Burrus and brother and guitarist Mike Mahaffey to tour behind the record. Though that band appears on much of Self's 1999 follow-up, "Breakfast With Girls," it is Matt Mahaffey's songwriting and singing that drive the record. The album starts with a movie soundtrack-sounding piano part accompanied by spacey sound effects, before being interrupted by crunchy guitar, razor-sharp keyboards and a steady-but-rocking drum part. That song, "The End Of It All," moves back and forth between chugging rock and 1960s pop, a blend that is prevalent on "Breakfast." Probably the album's biggest strength is Self's knack for filling in empty spaces with interesting sounds. Unlike many popular albums where extra instruments are added just to beef up weak songs, Mahaffey's songwriting takes on lively textures with the addition of just the right guitar lick, keyboard tone or sampled drumbeat. Clever lyrics are another part of the Self sound. On "Meg Ryan," Mahaffey sings, "If Meg Ryan were my personal taste/ I'd be atop the Empire State every Christmas." (The song's "Sleepless in Seattle" reference used to include "every Valentine's," but was changed for some reason -- probably rhythmic flow.) "The Uno Song" finds him writing his own version of the famous biblical passage about love: "Love is jealous and wicked/ sad songs have never depicted/ The love that I knew was always biting more/ than it could chew." One area many bands fall short in is keeping listeners' attention for the full duration of a song. Mahaffey separates himself from many of his contemporaries who enhance rock songs with influences from hip-hop and electronic music by actually writing songs, not just grooves. In the middle of "What Are You Thinking?," the song's bouncy pop-rock feel breaks down to give way to a mellow, ringing guitar while Mahaffey sings "Wait/ I'm not down just yet/ I've got mountains of regret/ and my sorrow fills an ocean." Strings come in, and the song slowly builds up to a beautiful rock crescendo that would make Weezer shiver. Self's creativity didn't stop with "Breakfast." The band's next album was recorded using nothing but children's toys and instruments. Don't laugh -- it sounds way better than most albums recorded with $3,000 guitars and custom drum kits. Self is busy working on a new album, and who knows what's next? Before that record comes out, I suggest you pick up "Breakfast" and become a fan. I dare you not to.