These Cali-punk lifers have released only seven albums in a 32-year career, and who can blame 'em: Social D have survived drugs, rehab, death and constant lineup changes. On their sharpest disc since their commercial peak in the early Nineties, Mike Ness confronts a "trail of devastation," over a melodic tumult steeped in rootsy allusions ­ "Gimme Shelter" gospel singers, gritty balladry. A blitz through Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken" fades into the sound of wolves howling over ominous feedback. It's an obvious metaphor, but they have the right to some cheese on their manwich.

Listen to "California (Hustle and Flow)" and "Machine Gun Blues"
 

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“Let My Love Open the Door”

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."