Off!: Off!

Although Keith Morris is kind of a one-trick pony, it’s a damn good trick. Off!’s first official album underscores that fact. Place anything from the new album - “Wiped Out,” “Vaporized,” the almighty “King Kong Brigade,” et al - next to Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown” or anything from Circle Jerks’ Golden Shower of Hits and they’re virtually interchangeable, which isn’t a bad thing. Every socially and politically oppressive force that would’ve driven a man to punk rock in the late ’70s is still ingrained in pedestrian American culture. Likewise, Morris remains relevant and even better with age. Or maybe it’s that Dimitri Coats’ snarling guitar is the counterpart his screaming tirades have always needed. Regardless, it’s the most explosive 16 songs in 16 minutes you’ll hear all summer. (5 out of 5 stars)