Having an aura of authenticity is more important in punk rock than perhaps any other musical genre. Even in the world of hip-hop, where street cred alone can make or break you, a wide-reaching mainstream approach will often do nothing but boost sales and increase critical support. But in the fickle world of punk, all the black, tattoos and piercings that could possibly be put on a human body won't save a pop-conscious record that reaches out to the masses from being skewered by the underground. With that said, let it be known this humble reviewer will be the first to flip his wig if Off With Their Heads soon find their credibility on a peak.

Off With Their Heads certainly don't cop some glossed up pop-punk teenie-bop pose, but their music is far too infectious to call abrasive (even if there are more f-words than minutes on their CD). They make good use of their dual guitar attack and shy away from the typical and easily predictable descending three-chord approach so prevalent to their genre. Throaty multi-part vocal harmonies provide melodies that leech onto your brain and the drummer even knows when to, get this, SLOW DOWN. While songs like "S.O.S." and "Your Child Is Dead" may be catchy enough to appeal to a large audience, they still sound genuine and from the gut.

"Hospitals" sounds like the work of a band more interested in good times than good paychecks. Ahhh, just what punk should be. CMJ

www.myspace.com/offwiththeirheads