The alternative scene may have run its creative course, but punk rockers are a stubborn bunch. So it comes as no surprise that Southern California outfits such as the Muffs and Pennywise continue to bang out the same kind of melodic noise they were playing before Green Day and the Offspring sparked the '90s neopunk movement.
Happy Birthday to Me, is instantly recognizable to anyone who has heard the band before. Catchy midtempo fuzz guitar, raspy, tough-girl vocals and crafty background harmonies are the main ingredients, and nearly every song is prepared like fast food – cooked up, packaged and delivered in less than three minutes. For the most part, the formula holds up as well here as it did on the band's other two discs. Sure, many of the 15 tracks sound alike, and, OK, the Muffs cling a bit too tightly to their influences (Ramones, Joan Jett, the Beatles), but the band's snotty delivery and toe-tapping refrains overshadow its power-pop limitations. Toss in lyrics like, "Hey, go away, you're annoying me/I'm a dick, I'm a dick, and I could care less" ("I'm a Dick"), and you're left with a fun, frivolous album that ventures little – but gains, nonetheless.
Pennywise were once as reckless and carefree as the Muffs, but when bassist Jason Thirsk committed suicide last July, the band was forced to re-evaluate its priorities. Full Circle, Pennywise's new album, is the result of nearly a year of self-examination, and on "Date with Destiny," the band sums up its new philosophy: "What would you do with just one more hour?/Live that hour out every day/Like it was your last, you'll live much better that way."
A full-throttle metallic punk album that revolves around themes of mortality and rebellion, Full Circle attacks with the ferocity and survival instinct of a wounded Doberman. But no matter how frenzied the guitars or frenetic the drumbeats, the band's melodic vocals keep the tunes from becoming a meaningless blur. Granted, it's the same trick used by Pennywise mentors Bad Religion, but punk rock has always emphasized intent over originality, and Pennywise intend to scowl, slam and strum at least until the next punk-rock revolution. (RS 761)
JON WIEDERHORN
