Most alternative bands shroud themselves behind thick pretentiousness and an arrogant attitude, inviting nary a fan into their world without an all-access tag or money in hand.

Unfazed by their own accolades, members of the band Unrest present themselves as part of the ordinary cool. They are so down to earth you could share a glass of milk with them and not feel lame.

Like jelly and peanut butter swirled in the same jar, the Washington, D.C.-based band purges an eclectic noisy angst blended in sweet bubble-gum melodies.

"The sound of the new album (Imperial) is very soothing. Lyrically, it's all personal things about me and Bridget," said Marc Robinson, Unrest's singer and guitarist.

Imperial shuffles through musical forms ranging from heavy metal to ragtime, Robinson said of the new album.

"I think we genre hop. I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but I think we have a broad acceptance of music," said Phil Krauth, Unrest's drummer.

On the upcoming single "Cherry Cherry," the band jangles as if it were Lou Reed's grandchildren hip to early R.E.M. The video, void of big staging, big lighting or big hair, is as stripped down as their music.

"It's just us playing in a room with Christmas lights," Robinson said. "I don't know what we'll do with it, we'll probably just watch it."

The band members aren't really sure how the video turned out. Viewers should not be surprised if they see some women playing in the bathroom with a two-gallon bowl of cherries, said Bridget Cross, Unrest's bassist.

Having toured throughout the fall, the band had a chance to experience music on the fringe.

"There was this band Los Marauders. They came up on stage in three-piece suits, single snare, stand-up bass and slickback hair," Cross said, adding that the balding lead singer made lewd, sexual overtures to the crowd.

At home in the Washington, D.C. area, Robinson operates his own independent label, Teenbeat, and is involved in the local scene.

"The scene has always been pretty healthy, there's always new bands," Robinson said. "Now you have a lot of little labels popping up like mine and Simple Machine,"

Entrenched in D.C., Unrest wards off the hectic pace of band life with their admiration for one another.

"Marc's a dork -- no, I love him to death. It's a beautiful relationship," Cross said.

"I think Bridget is a very good bass player and songwriter ... We saw Moonstruck together and I've known her ever since," Robinson said.

The loving vibe and healthy sentiment extends also to Krauth.

"It's absolutely impossible to describe him, he's schizophrenic with a drug problem," Cross said jokingly.

With their feelings intact for one another and with Imperial to be released Feb. 21 and a video in the can, Unrest members still look to improve their sound.

"We're still too conservative," Krauth said. "I think we could do a lot more with what we have."