The Vandals
are like a
Tex Avery
cartoon. They're wacky, their intentions are absurdly comedic, and their eyes pop out whenever they see a cute girl passing by. But one thing for sure is that
the Vandals
are way past their angst-filled
"Suburbia"
days; now they just want to make people laugh with their upteenth album
Hitler Bad, Vandals Good
. Normally, when a punk band -- or any band in general -- tries to be funny and musically inclined at the same time, they only succeed in one of the two efforts. Surprisingly,
have a nice balance of both with songs like
"My Girlfriend's Dead,"
with the lyrics "My girlfriend's dead you see, it's a total lie -- but it's easier on me than having to admit that she likes someone else." Then there's
"I've Got an Ape Drape,"
which throws out a plethora of adjectives for the short-on-top-long-in-back haircut "Hockey Hair, Mullet, Norco Neck Warmer." To top it off on a serious note, there's even a nice dedication to former
Pennywise
bassist
Jason Matthew Thirsk
, who committed suicide a year prior to this release. ~ Mike DaRonco