Now entering their 30s, the members of the poppiest of pop-punk bands are trading black eyeliner and pointy bangs for stubble and shades. Their fifth disc is rife with signs of rock ambition — acoustic songcraft, sweeping guitar solos — folded into their vaguely emo, synthed-up sound. But the results are still kid-friendly and mostly forgettable. "Last Night" yokes a Jerry Maguire reference to a riff nicked from "Brown Sugar" and comes out sounding like hot Disney rock, while "Like It's Her Birthday" sets a man's problem ("She said she only had a meeting/But she is dressed for something/Something that is no good") to a bubblegum groove that a 14-year-old could throw a fist to.

Keep up with rock's hottest photos in Random Notes.

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.