Cool to Be You

I've been listening to the Descendents/ALL for about ten years now, and this album rates near the top of the whole punkin' lot of them. I suppose you could say this is one of the best ALL albums, as none of the songs really hearken back to the Descendents glory years, when they wrote about women they couldn't get, instead of holding onto women they're on the verge of divorcing. Although it smacks of ALL, this effort is the Descendents. If you like either group, I suggest you pick this album up right quick. Cool to Be You is not an ALL album, courtesy of Mr. Aukerman's golden voice. Milo is, without a doubt, my favorite punk singer ever, and here he sounds polished and forceful. Additionally, he gets plenty of melodic support from Karl Alvarez and Chad Price on backups. In fact, this is probably the finest vocal effort of any Descendents/ALL album, well, ever.The music is relentlessly perfect. Having perfected their essential style on Everything Sucks, Bill Stevenson, Stehpan Egerton and Karl Alvarez bang out formulaic tunes so unerringly catchy that the only things holding back the songs are the lyrics themselves. The drums are frenetic but controlled, the guitar layered, and the bass rolls. The only drawback is the predictability of the formula itself - after a while, Egerton's solos, while brief and clever, start to feel tacked on. Also missing is a sub-45 second song, such as Coffee Mug, Weinerschintzel or the deeply philosophical I Like Food, though none of the songs drag. There are few lyrical gems here. Alvarez scores with `Merican (the most astutely political Desecendents song since M-16) and Dog and Pony Show (a wry critique of meat-market nightlife), while Milo pours in relationship updates from his previous seven years with Talking (more great been-there-done-that relationship issues) and Nothing With You (even more great been-there-done-that relationship issues). Conspicuously absent are any contributions from guitarist Egerton, author of the timeless Strip Bar, among others. Noticeably lacking are Bill Stevenson's compositions, which deal with extremely complicated subjects (the death of his father, the difficulties of sustaining a fading marriage) presented in the same sugary poppy-punk format of the rest of the songs here, yet somehow they lack edge. After half-a-dozen listens his songs start to warm on you, but what happened to the simple lyrical genius behind Hope, Clean Sheets and even She's My Ex? All in all, pun intended, this album is noticeably better than the uneven Everything Sucks. If only this band, having reached the technical heights of the punk rock genre, could let themselves get a little bit crazier than relating the dangers of hot peppers and just return to the care-free ways of their pre-ALL days (No FB, anyone?). But, alas, with time comes change, and you can't expect youthful quirkiness to spring eternal. In the end, if you've got a taste for punk and you don't mind the sugar-coated sourness of a mellowed-out, slightly bitter punk supergroup, grab yourself some Descendents and rock out.

Definitely a bit more poppy than previous records. It totally works to it's advantage though! Upon listening to track 1 "Talking", I knew I was in for something special. All 14 tracks are phenomenal, but if I had to pick some noteworthy or stick out tracks I'd have to say "Talking", "She Don't Care", "Mass Nerder", "One More Day", "Tack", and "Anchor Grill". I mean look at that, i just listed almost half the album! That's how good it is! Also, the recorded is extremely polished, clarity is great, and it just sounds good overall from a technical standpoint. Enjoy! this record!

Best album I've heard in a while, I like it a lot. Hard to go wrong with Descendents.You'll learn such things as stay away from the chili verde (pplllt) and what it means to be a 'Merican.

great album, a must for any punk rock fan. ive had a hard time finding new music I like, luckily the descendents got back together with that good old style I love. the lyrics have meaning and the fast paced tempo keeps the heart rate up. I wish modern punk rock would actually rock like this.

Good cd from the band and came in good condition.

Good mix of signature Descendents style and early 2000's pop rock influences. Not quite as hard as their other albums, but still kicks some ass.

It came in very good condition. This was a gift for my husband and he was very happy.

Excellent! Love the Descendents! This album is deep in catchy songs with thoughtful and engaging lyrics.

Item as described, well packaged, quick delivery! Thanks!!!

I Descendents sfornano dischi con cadenza decennale. Quindi ogni volta è un evento. Come questo Cool To Be You, uscito nel 2004.I ragazzi che andavano al college adesso hanno 40 anni, ma appaiono sempre in forma incredibile. Il loro puro e sano punk rock è tanto immediato quanto curatissimo, veemente e melodico.Sono ormai adulti ma hanno dentro ancora lo stesso spirito di quando erano adolescenti.Come me.

Typischer kalifornischer Punk Rock, der einem Summerfeeling und viel Spaß bringt. Man schwingt sich bereitsgedanklich aufs Rollbrett und rollt in den Sonnenuntergang! Für Fans von Blink 182, Bad Religion (!) oder anderenVertretern des melodischen Zweigs sei dieses Album und die Band generell empfohlen!

Gracias a Amazon voy, poco a poco, haciendo acopio de CD’s que en su momento no tuve y que ahora, en tiendas físicas, son casi imposible de encontrar. Este es uno de ellos. Un precio super razonable para un CD mítico de la banda.

Elige esa valoración ya que me parece que el producto los vale, para las personas que aún creemos en comprar cds se los puedo recomendar con los ojos cerrado, es un clásico que merece estar en nuestra repisa.

Bel album punk... quasi introvabile nei negozi italiani.Consiglio l' acquisto a tutti gli amanti del genere.Prezzo contenuto e spedizione precisa ed in pochi giorni.

Pacco ricevuto imballato perfettamente e nei tempi stabiliti.L'album in sè è meraviglioso e lo consiglio a chiunque, specie in vinile è fantastico anche da guardare.

Cool album. Thanks for having it. The end.

僕は硬派な70、80年代パンクハードコアファンで、最近流行ってるメロコアみたいなやつは中途半端な感じがしてすきになれませんでした。でもDESCENDENTSだけはなぜか聴けます。純粋にいい音楽だと思います。

I've just received this record and would just like to say I'm not very happy at all. It jumps on the last track on the A side. This has made me very upset cause I've been looking forward to playing this record all day.