Delay

Delay strives to be textbook punk, but the Cleveland trio comes closer to being dictionary punk, as in the "inexperienced youngster" definition of the word found in Webster's New World. The good book goes on to define "punk rock" as "a form of simple rock music, often with coarse lyrics, typically performed in a hostile, deliberately offensive way." Yup, even the crusty old dictionary farts know the style, and they'd know it ain't these cats.

But let's be fair: When Delay's song "Your Anthem" explains at length the unknowable depths of the teenage mind, then "Open Your Eyes" strongly declares the dangers of stereotyping, you know this is music made by adolescents, for adolescents. Granted, the group's off-key sing-alongs are probably a lot more enjoyable live, and Tied and True might prove to be a valuable souvenir from the gigs. But for those who haven't experienced that magic, the album is an endless series of trite rehashes of Sublime and Green Day. Woo-hoo.