Plain White T's

A world ahead of their last effort (the unintentionally ironically titled Stop), Plain White T’s have put together a disc of incredibly catchy, if not incredibly original, pop-punk songs. With some great songs spread out over this 13-song collection, there is little here to pull down the poppy proceedings. On tracks like "Take Me Away,” the band embrace the cheesiest of their influences and run with them, making for some wonderful, shame-free pop music. Excellent lead guitar work helps flesh out songs and gives them a depth they might otherwise lack. While some songs try a little to hard to be catchy, edgy, and thought-provoking at the same time, most of them know their place and stay there. At their best, on songs like the incredibly mature "Breakdown,” the band show definitively that they’re only getting better with time.