Hard Rock Bottom

Hard Rock Bottom

No Use for a Name started doing this whole punk-pop thing while the members of Sum 41 and Blink 182 were still shoving crayons up their noses. But it's taken several years and some key lineup changes for the Northern California band to catch up to its brood in ambition and appeal. <I>Hard Rock Bottom</I> pushes things along nicely, as atomic single "Dumb Reminders" has already gatecrashed mainstream radio. The rest of the disc is brimming with more potential hits, like the snotty "Friends of the Enemy," a tune fans of Green Day will cream themselves over, and the overcaffeinated cover of Sinead O'Connor's "This Is a Rebel Song," as jarring as the original was sublime. It's taken them a while to catch on, but the rewards should be rich. <I>--Aidin Vaziri</I>