FALL ALBUM ROUNDUP : In Brief

* * * Bad Religion, “Stranger Than Fiction,” Atlantic. Neither the increasing production value of the group’s recent efforts nor the move from the small Epitaph label has diminished its music. The hook-filled, succinct tunes still blaze, fanned by furious playing and Greg Graffin’s impassioned commentaries about the ailments of modern society. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to keep the faith.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).