Although the first track, "A is for Alison", might scare a new listener away, Cary Aria's new album, Ruins, accomplishes it's goal. Aria has set out to tell the story of a relationship, from "starry-eyed beginnings,"* to it's end. The ruins.     The giddy beginnings of this torrid love affair are portrayed very well. During "Alison", I was bracing myself for Aaron Carter to chime in singing, "I want Candy." Follow that with "Tongue Tied", wherein Cary proclaims, "Nothing feels worse than being tongue tied," and you feel like you're in junior high again.     Cary redeems himself later in the album as the guitar riffs start to get tougher, as do the vocals. There are nine tracks on the album, plus a bonus track. By far, the best song is track 8, "Gasoline". Aria employs a cool vocal distortion technique and a surfy, reverb guitar solo over a blues progression that makes the song quite a foot tapper.     It's a pop album. And it succeeds as one. The lyrics apply to anyone who's fallen in and out of love. You can listen to the thing from head to toe without having to reach for the remote. If you want to wander down that confused path of lust, love and longing, Cary Aria will take you there. [Editor's note: click on links above for audio samples] * From Cary's Web site