The formula for success seemed to lie in the threesome's radio-friendly guitar pop, which propelled sales of Better Than Ezra's debut release, "Deluxe," well past the platinum-selling mark.

Almost predictably, the band's follow-up effort, "friction, baby," didn't do nearly as well, producing only one memorable single, "Desperately Wanting." Suddenly the same music critics who once hailed Better Than Ezra as an overnight sensation were describing the threesome as victims of their own success.

So how did the New Orleans trio plot its return? A listen to the band's third disc, "How Does Your Garden Grow," reveals a drastic sonic departure for BetterThan Ezra.

Once known for its melodic guitars, the band has gone electronic, incorporating loops, dots, sequences and other kinds of electro-goodies.

The change is meant to leave fans scratching their heads, said Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin.

"My favorite bands are the ones where you pun on the new album and say, 'Oh my God, what have they done?'" Griffin recently told the Tulsa World.

"We didn't want to make sides C and D of our last album."

Better Than Ezra plays at 8 p.m. Thursday at the University of Central Oklahoma ballroom, located in the student union at 125 University Drive in Edmond.

The decision to change its sound was no easy one for Better Than Ezra, which still could bet on radio airplay with its guitar-driven sound.

Finally, the threesome asked producer Malcolm Burn, who was known for his transformation of U2's guitar-driven sound for its album "The Unforgettable Fire," for help.

"I was a big U2 fan, and the first three albums were very in-your-face, more guitar-oriented stuff," Griffin said.

"Then along comes 'Unforgettable Fire,' and it was very layered and textural and rhythmic. At first I was like, 'What have they done?'"

A similar shock awaits fans of Better Than Ezra. The current single, "One More Murder," is more than a little dark and spooky compared to the band's previous guitar-pop ballads.

But change, Griffin said, is key to any band's survival.

"You have to take chances," he said.

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