Destination Failure
Chicago's Smoking Popes deliver another stellar batch of buzzsaw punk-pop anthems about love and love lost on their second major-label album. Josh Caterer's emotional crooning still sounds a lot like Morrissey's, but mopey teenagers would be much better off listening to the Popes than Moz, because the joy inherent in their tunes always points the way out for the worst case of the blues. (Just pogo a bit, and everything is sure to feel better.) "Let's hear it for promises and something sealed with a kiss/Let's hear it for big mistakes that you just couldn't resist," Josh sings in "Let's Hear It for Love," which is pretty much the band's theme song. But the group really won my heart with the cover of "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. How can you help but love these guys?--Jim Derogatis