In Brief

** Dishwalla, “And You Think You Know What Life’s About,” A&M.; Santa Barbara’s kings of radio-perfect pop-rock roar back with a rethought, tougher, darker style. This angst-filled and metal-tinged sophomore try sinks quickly under the weight of overblown emotion and puerile lyrics. The record’s highlight, “Once in a While,” is not an exception to that rule, but it manages to capture the group’s original hooky, hummable sound, lacking in the rest of the record.

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

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://ukobiw.net/soundclips