A sign of the forthcoming apocalypse: The Surfers' have recorded their first Top 40 hit. It will happen with their tune "Pepper," a cross polination between Beck's "Loser" and Jim Carroll's "People Who Died." You'll be hearing this one blasting out of suburban Range Rovers this year with the same frequency as "More Human Than Human" was overplayed last year.

Not only is there a hit here, but there's not much insanity or off-the-wall antics. This is a pretty conventional rock record, but it's also a well-crafted record. Maybe they're mellowing with age or just disenchanted with the genre. I mean, Marilyn Manson seems to be the top of that heap these days, and it's too bad because Gibby Haynes could scare the shit out of that fucker with his little toe. On the other hand, even Marilyn Manson would have had the sense to not record this album's malignant cancer spot, "TV Star," which might be an ode to Christina Applegate but is definitely filler.

That aside, there's a lot to love here. The first three tracks -- "Birds", "Cough Syrup" and "Pepper" -- are a strong, diverse bunch with punk, rock, and hip hop influences, respectively. The hip hop razor is wielded again on "The Lord is a Monkey" and buried with "Jingle of a Dog's Collar." Are these the same 'Surfers who opened the seminal Locust Abortion Technicians with a rousing, echoing "Satan!!!!"? Well, yeah. Why wouldn't they be?

-Jason Josephes