This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
You’d think it would be pretty cool to be Milo Aukerman.
The frontman of off-again on-again pop-punk icons The Descendents is beloved by fans, respected by peers and lauded by the cognescenti. Plus he has a PhD and, last time I checked, a full-time gig as a biochemistry researcher at the University of Wisconsin. That last bit explains why Cool To Be You is the first Descendents studio album since 1996’s Everything Sucks — although it doesn’t explain why the band waited two years to issue these tunes, which were recorded in 2002. But whatever; better late than never. These 14 cuts offer everything Descendents fans could want. Bill Stevenson’s rock-solid beats, Stephen Egerton’s buzzsaw guitar crunch and Karl Alvarez’s melodic basslines combine into tightly woven, hook-laden pop-punk gems as vibrant as anything they penned 20 years ago. The real star of the show, of course, is Aukerman, who offers more of his bittersweet ruminations on love, family and geekdom, as seen through his skewed prism of pessimism, angst and regret. That is, when he isn’t indulging his sophomoric side with the spicy-food ode Blast Off. If you’re waiting for The Descendents to evolve, you might be a tad disappointed. But if you’re just happy to hear from Milo and co. again, you’ll probably think it’s all pretty cool.
