POP / SNEAK PEEK : WILD COLONIALS GET BUSY.

Although they dropped out of sight locally over the past year, the Wild Colonials have never been busier.

Not only did the popular five-member folk-pop band land tours with King Crimson and Chris Isaak, the Colonials cut its long-awaited sophomore effort, ``This Can't Be Life'' (DGC), to be released Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Colonials singer Angela McCluskey recorded a couple of duets with Dr. John for the ``Flirting With Disaster'' soundtrack, a Tom Jones cover for the comedy ``Mr. Wrong,'' a song for the film ``The Last Supper'' and something for a Disney album for kids.

The movie connection comes naturally to McCluskey, who first traveled to Los Angeles from her native Glasgow, Scotland, five years ago after working as a film-industry publicist in London.

``I had sung backup for friends' bands, but singing professionally was the last thing I thought I'd end up doing,'' she said during a recent interview. ``As a film publicist, I was helping other people to make their dreams come true, but I never got to really express myself. So, when I came to L.A., I called myself a singer, rather than a publicist.''

During her first month here in 1991, McCluskey happened upon the old Cafe Beckett, where she launched a weekly jam session. Eventually, she met the musicians who would make up the Wild Colonials, whose debut, ``Fruit of Life,'' was issued two years ago. The group soon began packing them in at a Tuesday night showcase gig at the trendy Cafe Largo in the Fairfax area.

``Our early gigs became a who's who of the film industry,'' McCluskey recalled. ``I knew all these actors and they told their friends, and everyone came to the Largo to support us.''

The Colonials appear Wednesday at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.

The ``This Can't Be Life'' CD is instantly recognizable with its striking cartoon cover of some particularly human-looking carrots, one of which is playing an accordion.

``It was taken from an 18th-century lithograph that was turned into a postcard,'' McCluskey explained. ``I think it has a dark quality as well as a funny one.''

The new disc was co-produced by ex-Roxy Music bassist John Porter (Smiths, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal) and the Colonials' Geffen Records a&r executive, Tony Berg (Michael Penn, X).

``We wanted to capture the band's live energy,'' McCluskey said. ``This album takes many more chances than the first one, in every sense. We had to really push ourselves.''

Chillin': What is Igloo?

It's the Atlantic-distributed label founded by Tori Amos. And its first release is the self-titled debut by Pet, an abrasive Los Angeles-based noise-rock trio that began performing around town two years ago.

Sessions for the arty ``Pet'' began last winter in Ireland and were completed in Los Angeles in the band's home studio. The disc is due in stores Sept. 17.

``The beauty of Pet is there's always a new twist and turn in the road,'' said guitarist Tyler Bates. ``Nothing is pat - for us, that's the best feeling in the world.''

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Photo: The Wild Colonials' second album, ``This Can't Be Li fe,'' is being released Tuesday on DGC. The band appears Wednesday at the Troubadour.