I already reviewed the Descendents’ EP last month, so if I need to harp yet again on the fact that this is the band that most MTV-punks want to be (whether they know it or not)–well, I’m going to anyway. If you don’t like the Descendents, you’ll be the first person I’ve met.
There’s just nothing not to like about this band, and being bombarded with generic pop-punk makes me love them all the more.
It’s all here on this album, the formula they perfected years ago and have seen little reason to change. Everyone’s favorite mild-mannered bio-chemist, Milo Aukerman, is back writing songs about love, geekdom, self-esteem, and gastric dysfunction. Bassmaster general Karl Alvarez contributes tracks on breakups and the State of the Union, drummer Bill Stevenson with a few songs on family life to remind us how old these guys really are, and guitarist Stephen Egerton to remind us that the guys who started it all still rock.
Save the money you’re spending on today’s crop of generic pop-punk and pick up this album for standout tracks like “Mass Nerder,” an ode to the kid with glasses who never got laid, but got good grades, and “Dry Spell,” the story of finding one’s way back to one’s art. While you’re at it, if you don’t have them already, get their entire back catalog, because while this album stands out in a sea of similar bands, it’s not their best, by far.
