Dookie -- Green Day

Although the fate of true punk may be up in the air, punkish-pop is alive and well in the form of Green Day, whose new album Dookie is an exuberant collection of songs laced with a healthy dose of alienation.

Although "exuberant alienation" may sound like a mixture along the lines of oil and water, Green Day has thrown enough vinegar into its salad to produce a tasty dish -- the upbeat musical stylings complement the often downbeat lyrics to a tee.

From the apathetic feelings of "Burnout" to the coming-of-age confusion of "Coming Clean," the guys in Green Day beautifully relate the state-of-minds of a younger generation looking for a niche in the world. It has been done before, but rarely with such a refreshing bent and sarcasm. Listen to the album's best track, "Longview," with this wonderful insight -- "when masturbation has lost its fun/you're fucking breaking." No kidding.

Green Day wraps its lyrical worries in a poppy musical tortilla that can be deceptive. It's easy to take the music as high-strung pop containing teen angst on the level of Danny Partridge. But repeat listens uncover a meaty center where comparisons to early Elvis Costello abound, especially amidst the broken love of "Pulling Teeth" -- the soft-spoken guitars and smooth voices are abstractly different from the cold, harsh lyrics.

The best thing that can be said about the album, however, is that it's the first album this year that can be put on repeat play without hesitation. Unlike the title, Green Day's new album ain't no Dookie.

La Mano Cornuda -- The Supersuckers

It's surprising The Supersuckers made it through the latest album without belching even once. The band has lots and lots of testosterone --four white males' worth -- and it uses it to make La Mano Cornuda as messy and loud as possible.

Lighter than Supercharger and meaner than Superchunk, The Supersuckers have less variation and originality than any other super-indie band. The Suckers cram identical amounts of irreverent punk into song after two-minute song.

Still, there are some catchy tunes on La Mano Cornuda, such as "On the Couch," which could very well be the anthem to arouse rebellious white boys to drink beer and dance on sofas.

I can see The Supersuckers now, running around the house in flannel boxers, screaming along in groveling look-what-puberty's-done-for-me voices: "Remote control is in my hand again/ I can change the channel but I can't change what I am/I'm wasting time I know but I don't cry."

The Supersuckers spout off about the ideal woman in "She's My Bitch." Eddie Spaghetti growls with approval, "She ain't no riot grrrl, just a riot . . . she hates the Beatles and likes the Stones," praising a girl who is as fun, rude and dumb as The Supersuckers.

The Supersuckers -- the Beavis and Butt-Head of Seattle.

Hips and Makers -- Kristin Hersh

In modern music, a truly beautiful voice has become increasingly hard to find. The voice just doesn't seem to matter anymore -- the quality of the words has become far more important to the average listener than the quality of the singer.

Kristin Hersh, however, has a voice so achingly beautiful that it simply defies description.

Formerly a singer with the Throwing Muses, Hersh brings little more than herself to her solo debut, Hips and Makers. Her voice and her acoustic guitar are all that occupy most of the 15 tracks, though R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe adds vocals on one song and a cello backs up Hersh's guitar on several others.

Hersh's voice, though, is the highlight of this beautiful album. There just are not words that can adequately describe the serene beauty she can create.

Sweet. Haunting. Innocent. Yearning. They all come to mind, but fall far short of explaining the stunning sound. Hersh has the kind of voice that, if she chose to, could make "Screw you" sound like a blessing from an angel, or "I love you" sound so chilling and empty it would tear your heart out.

The relatively simple guitar rhythms, beautiful and peaceful on their own, magnify the quality of Hersh's voice simply by not getting in the way.

In the past, Hersh did some wonderful work along with Tanya Donnelly in the Throwing Muses. Donnelly left to form the band Belly, but with Hips and Makers, Hersh proves that her voice is what really made the Throwing Muses beautiful.