Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction - FLAC (Big Papi) 90's Alternative Rock

To those that slag all post-Against The Grain BR albums, I say . . ARE YE DAFT??? This is probably firmly in second place on my list, behind the aforementioned ATG. *GASP* go all the "fans" who rail against the newer stuff . .
Why? Well, why not? This album has two things going for it. The first is a staple of this band, and that is a slew of fast songs that feature an abundance of that quality often neglected in punk -- melody! "Leave Mine to Me," "Better off Dead," and "Stranger Than Fiction" offer instantly memorable hooks that would work in pretty much any style of music. The harmonies in "Better off Dead" rival anything these guys have done.

The second endearing quality is likely a shocker for anyone used to hearing the same jackrabbit tempos and punk song structures from Bad Religion. Yes, they actually shake things up a bit by throwing a (kinda) ballad into the mix, as well as a (kinda) folk song. The two are "Infected," and "Slumber," and they really add some spice to what is otherwise just another solid BR album. I've read that BR supposedly added diversity to previous albums with touches of "metal," "hard rock," or "psychadelica," but the nuances were too subtle for my feeble mind. I always thought metal was hard rock. Go figger. This is the first album on which Greg, Brett and company do anything I would really consider genre-shifting in the least. And I likes it! It's not experimental punk on par with, say, "Zen Arcade," but c'mon! This is Bad Religion we're yammering about!

So, howl if you must that the boys have lost their youthful edge, but I call it maturity. The ruckus of "Incomplete" was all I needed to hear to be sure that they were still a punk band. What followed proved that a gift for melody doesn't go away once you hit 30.