Set Your Goals "Mutiny"

In the annals of short, explosive bursts, Set Your Goals now year-old masterpiece, Mutiny!, deserves recognition and respect second to diarrhea only. Bursting with more positive enthusiasm than a bomb filled with LSD-loaded Teletubbies, Set Your Goals 2006 release burrows further into my skull with each and every listen -- a number that, one year post-release, exceeds 100.

Mutiny! is the type of album that makes it acceptable for burly badasses to proclaim a love for heavily pop-punk influenced tuneage. Set Your Goals lollipop-hardcore is a sweet but meaty treat, an improved reincarnation of Nothing Gold Can Stay-era New Found Glory. Mutiny!'s huge but clear production lends itself to thumping percussion, including a few earthquaking bass hits, and a wonderfully full sound. Seamless transitions bleed together a number of shorter tracks, and the album elapses seemingly more quickly than its actual 30-minute length.

And, because the lyrics don't pander heartbroken, downtrodden preteens, one needn't be ashamed to play this album around their friends! There's a sensible backbone to the lyrics, promoting self-reliance and individualism, open-mindedness and perspective. "An Old Book Misread", a thoughtful challenge to organized religion, is fantastic; though it's less hilarious than the usual satanic metal schtick -- and less likely to inspire any animal sacrifices or goth-dressup -- it's liable to encourage actual thought amongst the teenage crowd.

So put the top down (so you don't fist-pump-punch holes in the roof) and blast this blessing up and down the block. Mutiny! is a perennial winner, and it might be the summer album.

Now, don't go burning down any churches: Set Your Goals - "An Old Book Misread"

Impress your friends. Hit the Eulogy Recordings store and rock this album.