PICK OF THE MONTH

ALL >> PROBLEMATIC. EPITAPH.

It used to be that the only reliable things left were death and taxes. Now you can add All to the old adage. It seems that just when you’ve come to forget—two or three years for normal folk and about 30 minutes for homeschoolers—about the reliable pop-punk quartet, they put out another album that picks up right where the last one left off. Eighteen songs (a third are written about failed relationships) and a run time that sits under 35 minutes long make Problematic the perfect emotional roller coaster that we’ve come to expect from All. The act’s reputation for playing fast and tight is only strengthened through this release. The short format songs are pulled along by quick change-ups, spot-on drums, and bass lines that are arguably the best heard in punk today.

While it might seem that All is living in a state of suspended animation, it’s hard not to notice that the lyrics take a slightly more mature tone with every album. Simple mathematics point out that their career with the Descendants started in the mid-80’s, so these guys must be pushing into their thirties. That explains the progression from their last album’s “It’s the Summer Somewhere”—a song devoted to the nagging feeling that youth is ticking away—to Problematic’s claustrophobic “I Want Out” which contains the lines, (The pattering of little feet, mortgage, accountability, can I sleep on your couch? / I want out!) Hey, they left out asshole bosses, visits to the proctologist, and managing a 401K account. - Eric Seeger