Usually, when a product is advertised as having “something for everyone,” it is safe to say that that product will be a piece of utter and complete garbage.

The problem with such all-encompassing ambition is that, by aiming to please the general majority, individuality is compromised, resulting in a piece of generic, watered-down crap. Just look at this summer’s lackluster blockbuster movies like “Scooby-Doo,” “Spider-Man” and “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.”

In the realm of independent rock music, Jason Anderson (a.k.a. Wolf Colonel) forcefully bucks this disturbing trend with his third release, the comprehensively titled Something/Everything (K).

The 14 varied tracks traverse a wide range of rock ‘n’ roll styles, including Elliott Smith-type bittersweet acoustic balladry, fuzz-drenched power-pop straight from Guided By Voices’ garage and even a bit of Pavement-esque lo-fi quirk.

These different muses are combined effortlessly into an entire album’s worth of pleasant surprises.

Anderson compensates for his typically unpolished indie-rock voice with a keenly tuned ear for catchy pop hooks. These inescapable melodies make Something/Everything more than just a hodgepodge of carelessly thrown together, miscellaneous styles.

His penchant for brevity also serves Anderson well: Among the 14 songs, only two venture beyond the four-minute mark, with most only lasting around two minutes.

A good example of Anderson showing off his best qualities can be heard on the short and sweet opener, “Astronaut, Astronaut.” The song has a concise, 45-second introductory verse until it explodes into a rousing, classic power-pop chorus, which lasts for the remainder of the three-minute song. There’s no second verse and no reason to hit the fast-forward button.

The more experimental “Citizen’s Arrest” features drones, hazy organs, a glitchy break-beat and Anderson’s distorted vocals that recall fellow indie-rockers Sparklehorse. In the light-hearted acoustic ditty, “Jet Ski Accidents,” Anderson works his playful, indie-rock mojo as he sings, “Don’t you think we should kiss / While the Husker Du is playing.”

The beautiful, ambiguously spiritual two-chord closer “Bless Us Now” sees Anderson at his best, pouring out his sordid soul, singing, “Something I never got to see / It’s something never I got to believe in / I’m coming ’round for you.”

After a couple listens, it doesn’t much matter whether he is singing about God or the girl that got away or whatever. With Something/Everything, Anderson puts forth a multi-dimensional album that takes advantage of the inherent universality of pop music without diluting it. nyou