All American Rejects MOVE ALONG

The All-American Rejects: Nick Wheeler (sitar, talk box); Tyson Ritter (bass instrument); Chris Gaylor (background vocals); Mike Kennerty.
Personnel: Tyson Ritter (vocals, Theremin, background vocals); Nick Wheeler (guitar, classical guitar, banjo, electric sitar, keyboards, programming); Mike Kennerty (guitar); Jamie Muhoberac (piano); Howard Benson, Paul DeCarli (keyboards, programming); Chris Gaylor (drums, percussion); Lenny Castro (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Chris Lord-Alge.
Recording information: Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, CA; Casey Stone, Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA; Sparky Dark, Calabasas, CA.
Photographer: Chapman Baehler.
Hampered for some time by the implosion of their label Dreamworks, Oklahoma's All-American Rejects finally followed up their self-titled 2002 debut three years later. Happily, MOVE ALONG sounds like almost no time at all had passed between outings. Kicking off with the brash punk-pop of the first single, "Dirty Little Secret" (which features a killer distorted guitar riff), MOVE ALONG keeps things lively. The songs are short and the choruses are tailor-made for shouting along with, as people undoubtedly will. As before, co-leader Nick Wheeler decorates the songs with more odd touches than one would expect from an otherwise straightforward pop-punk band, layering sitar, banjo, theremin and hip-hop-flavored electronic beats into songs that otherwise sound little different from the likes of Blink-182 or Good Charlotte. Highlights include the sneering "Stab My Back," and the flamenco-inflected rocker "Top of the World."

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rock