The Deal: Twenty years down the road, New Jersey rockers still proudly bare their punky roots.
The Good: Calling the Bouncing Souls music pop punk misses the mark. The Souls are rockers with a punk attitude. Maybe the pop moniker was slapped on because vocalist Greg Attonito can actually sing as opposed to the hoarse screaming that passes for vocals in most punk outfits. The Souls are too versatile for one genre. Want punk? "Sedate me with anything/so I don't have to live with me," Attonito begs as a victim of reality overload on "Gasoline," a homage to The Ramones in the "I Wanna Be Sedated" vein. Want some arena rock? "When You're Young" has a U2 feel to it, with a Green Day flavor blended in the mix. Need some folky rock? Check out "Big Eyes," a mellow jangle about a young girl's loss of innocence that Springsteen would be proud to claim authorship of. Need a sing-along rocker? Crank up "Dubs Stays True."
The Bad: You've heard it all before. Last year, to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary, the Souls released a new song each month by digital download as well as pressing the singles on 7" vinyl sold at shows. But this is the complete collection, complete with lyric sheet, so it's not a bad deal.
The Verdict: Good little collection of sounds to bounce off the walls like you used to way back when.
Chunksaah; Release date: Jan. 12, 2010