Simple Plan

When the chorus hits on the lead track to Simple Plan's self-titled LP, it's all guitars and grandeur, catchy enough to ensure yet another platinum LP and forceful enough to wallop the sniffling mall punks next to whom they often get filed. The band surprises with the increasingly sleek, nearly urban production of singles like "The End" or "Your Love Is a Lie" (a close cousin of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams") and the echoing landscapes of "Holding On."

This Canadian quintet went platinum with its first two albums, which offered arena emo
long on overdriven guitars and giant choruses. Simple Plan presents a slightly more pristine
version of that sound, complete with spacious production, even bigger choruses and some
minor frills, including a handful of synth-driven grooves and a Joshua Tree-era U2 rip
("Holding On"). There are some decent pop moments: "When I'm Gone" is a seize-... More >