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Critic's Review
Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide
If it's a hummable, whistle-able tune you'd like to teach the world to sing, then here's a disc of candidates, with a few cuts to spare for a hip marching band. A really hip marching band, that is. This Muffs album is essentially the same album they've released three times earlier -- with different songs each time -- except Alert Today is even less complex and more memorable than ever, if that's possible. Although they insist that they're "pop punk," they're really just Cyndi Lauper with a two-pack-a-day habit and a three-chord repertoire that keeps the street lively but musically safe for everyone. Kim Shattuck's growly vocal range actually refers to softer times in pop punk music, when singers may have felt less to prove, perhaps. Shattuck is welcome to relax much more, as she does with charming effects on "Your Kiss," a sweet guitar-centered song that would make Brian Wilson proud. The album closes with a surprisingly sophisticated instrumental, "Jack Champagne," invoking the Ventures and warming our car radios' souls. Although little takes place here to shatter the earth or tumble the walls, there's nothing to shatter our spirits, either. A comforting pop record from a less-than-outraged "punk" band.
