Ghosts

Carrying the mantle of alt-punk's bratty, poppy energy while avoiding the sugary onslaught of emo, Texas's Marked Men are the most logical descendents of, well, The Descendents. GHOSTS will satisfy fans of prior efforts like FIX MY BRAIN. Tracks like "Fortune" and "I Must Be Dead" are all joyfully gritty three-chord fury, mashed together with an almost giddy lyrical misanthropy. The tempo occasionally slows to half-time choppiness, but the nasal snottiness of Mark Ryan's vocals are the album's consistent thread, lending the songs a surf rock-worthy carefree quality.