The All-American Rejects – The All-American Rejects

The marvelously named All-American Rejects’ major label debut is a mischievous ride into the punk pop genre recently taking over popular music. A marrying of Weezer, Something Corporate, Dashboard Confessional and Green Day come across on the eleven tracks.

On their self-titled album, singer Tyson Ritter comes across as the sterotypically love-searching fool with lyrics with slightly more depth than some of their punk pop counterparts.

Key tracks include the poppy first single “Swing, Swing” and the instrumentally charged (and aptly named) “The Last Song.” – Jeska Dzwigalski

grade 8 – grade 8

Hardcore metal newcomers grade 8 blend modern rock and not-so-heavy metal on their self titled debut album. A great hybrid of thumping West-Coast sound (see: Rage Against the Machine) and east-coast hardcore (see: Biohazard).

Key tracks include “Brick by Brick” and “Deal With It.” Overall grade 8 is a generic angry-male-thrashing-in-a-mosh-pit kind of album. – Nicholaus Biela

Smallville Soundtrack: The Talon Mix – Various Artists

Remy Zero, VonRay, Weezer, Lifehouse and more get together on the official Smallville Soundtrack. Most of the songs are the same poppy tracks heard on the WB show. The best song is Eva Cassidy’s cover of Cyndi Lauper’s hit “Time After Time” which brings the real sadness of the songs lyrics to the forefront.

Bonus features include a special collectible trading card, and the key to a special online comic book and other online features only accessible when spun up on your computer’s CD player. – Jeska Dzwigalski

The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits (1974-1987) – Rush

Even though Canadian rock legends Rush have only one U.S. Top 40 single (1981’s “Tom Sawyer”) all 20 of their previous original studio and live albums have gone either gold or platinum. Expect The Spirit of Radio… to continue that trend, as it’s a career spanning collection of Rush hits showcasing their best work.

For the uninitiated, Rush is a rock trio consisting of Geddy Lee (bassist with a glass-shattering voice), Alex Lifeson (classic rock guitar god) and Neil Peart (nine time Modern Drummer “Rock Drummer of the Year” winner). When these three get together, they have created some of the best pure rock music of all time, and this collection is a great ‘introduction’ album for those who’ve heard of the band, but never actually bought one of their albums.

Highlights of The Spirit of Radio… include “Working Man,” which sounds a bit like classic Paranoid era Black Sabbath but with better vocals. The previously mentioned “Tom Sawyer” is also a must-listen that combines all the elements that make up a classic Rush song. One more song not to miss is the live favorite “Closer To The Heart.”

All in all this is a great ‘introduction’ album for those who’ve heard of magic of Rush but never knew which one of their many albums to purchase. – Nicholaus Biela

Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics – Blues Traveler

I was immediately transported back to high school when Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics begun. The blaring harmonica and slightly cocky voice of John Popper is bound to transport you back to the early-mid 90s.

This high-energy compilation includes some of the bands best work, including the bouncy “But Anyway,” the ubiquitous top 10 hit “Run-around” and the understatedly romantic “Canadian Rose.”

While they’re no Dave Matthews Band, the bluesy-rocking sound of Blues Traveler reminds us that energetic sounds and swinging music still have a place in the pop scene. – Jeska Dzwigalski