Classics of Love

It's ironic that Jesse Michaels' first full-length, post-Common Rider, would take their moniker from one of his easygoing ex-band's sweetest sounding songs, because with Classics of Love, he's finally recaptured the raw energy and intensity that made Operation Ivy special. With "Bandstand" and "Castle in the Sky" acting as the only ska-inspired tracks on an album filled with punk anthems, Classics of Love lives up to one of its legacies without totally neglecting the other. Adding some of the melodic tendencies picked up along the way to a ferocious, 23-minute punk attack results in songs like "World of the Known," an album standout, with a chorus so strong you'd almost expect a young Lint Armstrong to slur his way into the mix. It took some time, but Classics of Love have finally reached the expectations set out by bitter Operation Ivy fans 20-plus years ago.