The Distillers: Coral Fang

If you dig punk, and you dig chicks who know how to scream out a chorus, then you've probably heard of The Distillers. Brody Armstrong, nee Dalle, and her band of merry punk rockers might not have dominated your local radio airwaves back in the 1990s, but that makes them no less talented and entertaining.

"Coral Fang" is the Distillers' third studio album. This set of tracks demonstrates the remarkable growth that Brody underwent as a musician, singer and songwriter. Don't get me wrong: I was down with the frenetic shrieking from older songs like "Sing Sing Death House," "City of Angels," "Sick of it All," and "I Am A Revenant." These cuts, from the first two CDs, are excellent. They're noisy, boisterous songs with something important to say: true punk, in other words.

However, "Coral Fang" shows Brody's ability to extend beyond the screaming, beyond the frantic guitar wailing, and dig deeper into her own self to come up with something more.

The cuts on this album edge dangerously close to the pop-punk genre, but not in that tasteless, commercialized sense. Brody's lyrics have gotten even better, which is saying quite a bit. There are still shades of the old energy, especially on hard-driving cuts like "Die On a Rope" and "Beat Your Heart Out."

But there's a nice, melodic undertone. Brody does more singing, and her voice is not bad at all. These new-sounding, fresh cuts, despite being a bit old now in 2008, fit her well.

And by the way: The Distillers are long gone, but Brody's making a comeback. Spinnerette is scheduled to break out their debut album, um, soon. When is "soon"? No idea. We don't have a concrete date yet. But if you head over to the band's Web site, you can check out news, cuts from the upcoming album, and chat with other Brody lovers.