Take Off Your Pants & Jacket

Call it We Aren't Family. Blink-182's studio followup to the zillion-selling Enema of the State is as angst-ridden about parental-related bad vibes as anything by Everclear. As the album's Who-like anthem "Stay Together for the Kids" has it: "We get along, so why can't they?" Other songs depict the effects of broken and near-broken homes on the 20-somethings this pop-punk trio's members have become. The opening lines of "First Date" sound very familiar nervous notes ("Do you like my stupid hair?") before the song shades over into a deeper self-loathing ("I'm not worthy for a minute of your time"). Pants and Jacket, of course, rarely slows down at even its most torn moments: this is the fast and loud pop-punk Blink's fans have made the hardest music many of them listen to. And these guys haven't outgrown the urge to toss a raspberry into the face of authority figures, including the dads, moms and grandpas who are the butt of jokes in the likes of "Happy Holidays, You Bastards." Heh heh. Butt. --Rickey Wright

Their formula is simple enough--equal parts teenage humor and brattiness combined with infectious guitar hooks that just beg to be cranked up on the stereo. But with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, the guys in Blink 182 may have delivered their best album to date, a punk-pop fusion that's so consistent you'll wonder which of the 13 tracks will become radio hits (any has the chance, really). Yes, as with Dude Ranch and Enema of the State, the songs here revolve around falling in love ("The Rock Show," "First Date"), falling out of love ("Online Songs," "Happy Holidays, You Bastard"), and plenty of other ways to kill time while away from school ("Reckless Abandon"). And yes, these guitar-driven songs all pretty much sound the same, but Take Off never gets boring. There's too much nervous energy here, too many slight variations in the arrangements, and too many hilarious lyrics that you won't want to miss. Parents may remember that the Buzzcocks used this same shtick in the late '70s, older siblings may remember that Green Day did it well not so many years ago, but Blink fans know that their band is more clever than anyone else playing today. The bonus tracks are throwaways, but that's OK--the threesome have given us plenty to bop our heads to here. --Jason Verlinde