Descendents - Milo Goes to College (1982)

Tracklist
01. Myage
02. I Wanna Be A Bear
03. I’m Not A Loser
04. Parents
05. Tonyage
06. M 16
07. I’m Not A Punk
08. Catalina
09. Suburban Home
10. Statue Of Liberty
11. Kabuki Girl
12. Marriage
13. Hope
14. Bikeage
15. Jean Is Dead

With 15 tracks in 22 minutes, the Descendents about brevity in a big way. The Southern California punk rock that the band defined was funny, snotty, fast, and distinctly un-subtle (see "I Wanna Be a Bear" for proof). Interestingly, the Descendents sound less "tinny" than many of their contemporaries and this makes their music seem much less dated than one might expect--it also may be one reason for the lasting interest in the band. Eventually Descendents-style punk mutated into the pop-punk popularized by Green Day and their ilk, but the original stuff stills rocks the house.

The first verse of "Suburban Home" is a perfect example of the Descendents version of sarcasm: "I wanna be stereotyped, I wanna be classified, I wanna be a clone, I wanna suburban home." Other standouts include the bass-driven home-life rant of "Parents," the romantic (at least as romantic a snotty teen is going to get) longing of "Hope," and the grudgingly concern-filled sound of the anti-addiction warning "Bikeage." This is California punk rock at it's best, and probably the best of the Descendents albums.