Flashlight Brown’s newest CD and first full album, My Degeneration, offers listeners a new perspective on punk with heavy instrumentals, rough vocals, and unique lyrics. Originally from Canada, the boys of the band, Fil Bucchino, Mike Conroy, Matt Hughes, and Tim Thomson, have worked their way up from playing club gigs to recently touring with rising band The All-American Rejects. My Degeneration, produced by Hollywood Records and released April 8, features 11 tracks and runs approximately 30 minutes.

A few songs, such as "A Freak" or "Go and Die" are oddly reminiscent of other punk/ska bands such as Green Day or All-American Rejects, especially in instrumental style. However, My Degeneration also offers more unique works such as "Patricia," the closest thing to a love song on the disc, and "Lose the Shades," a shorter track in both envy and admiration of the "popular kids."

Featured in every piece on the CD are enthusiastically performed instrumental accompaniments and solos, especially in the way of guitar. The background accompaniment is often so strong that the vocals become lost in bouncy, yet distinctly punk, rhythms. Vocals, from the talented Bucchino and Hughes, are rough and unrefined, giving the band a distinct sound. In tracks such as "Today," the vocals take on a stronger tone, giving songs a harder, more heavy metal sound.

Also contributing to the unique sound of Flashlight Brown is the band’s use of original lyrics. Examples can be heard in tracks like "Praise the Day," a longer song featuring a twisted yet humorous story of mistaken gender (Figured it’d be fine when I hit grade nine/And I’d grow a big beard really soon/Till the first day of gym when I met father Tim/ And he sent me to the girls change room), and "I’ll only make you cry," a very odd song which describes a sort of psychotic, stalker-esque infatuation. The use of unique lyrics adds a touch of humor and clever wit to the instrumentally-strong pieces. The subtlety of the lyrics is easily missed, making it necessary for listeners to repeat tracks before fully understanding their meaning.

The lack of overdone love songs and angst-ridden anthems help significantly to set the band apart from many other new (or old) punk and alternative groups. Consequently, it is difficult and unnecessary to label Flashlight Brown as anything else but fresh punk.

However, like so many other groups, and despite a few truly original tracks, the songs of My Degeneration generally sound very similar to one another. Again, instrumentals often parallel vocals a little too closely, and as a result drain the spunk from otherwise cleverly written songs.

Overall, however, Flashlight Brown’s My Degeneration is worth the half hour it takes to listen to the album in its entirety. While those who do not enjoy heavier punk bands may not find Flashlight Brown to their liking, the album is recommended for all other punk and alternative listeners, regardless of age.