The Briefs

California's the Briefs provide punk rock with just the kind of kick in the ass the genre has needed for so long. With the continued regurgitation of pop/punk of the Green Day variety and the ascension of a seemingly endless parade of faceless emo bands, punk rock has sadly become just another marketing gimmick, a cute costume for your third-grader to wear on Halloween. But with 2004's Sex Objects and the more recent Steal Yer Heart, the Briefs offered up the kind of snarling, sneering, obnoxious and patently offensive noise that old-school punks have been craving. Paying homage to such amateurish and disheveled legends as the Germs, Black Flag and the New York Dolls, the Briefs have the look and attitude down to perfection. Harnessing punk's spirit while addressing a range of modern concerns, both political and emotional, the Briefs can be both hilarious ("Getting Hit on at the Bank") and blistering ("Can't Get Through"). This is music of rare dysfunction, a joyful celebration of everything you don't want your kids knowing about.