Remember the golden age of punk rock, that time when the Ramones bred themselves on 30-second songs about sniffing glue and beating on brats? Well, forget about it. Between Green Day writing Grammy ballads and Blink 182 taking piano lessons, the idea of progression, a notion once so alien to the ears of rock outfits around the world, is becoming an increasingly present reality.

Add Los Angeles punk centerpieces Goldfinger to the growing list of bands discontented with being typecast as simply "a punk band." "Disconnection Notice," the band's fifth full length effort, finds them jumping aboard the crossover bandwagon in a desperate attempt to catch up with their pop savvy peers.

Front man John Feldmann has spent an awful lot of time behind the boards as of late, producing records for the likes of Mest and the Used among others, and his work with other bands has clearly expanded his musical viewpoint. The drum rolls and mandolin on "Wasted" have the taste of a latter day Pogues track, while the intro to "Too Many Nights," with its gratuitous use of cowbell, would have fit any given Loverboy record like a glove.

If nothing else, "Disconnection Notice" will stand apart from other records in the band's catalog, but in the case of Goldfinger, that's not necessarily a good thing.

By now Feldmann likely has a closet full of "I can't believe I trusted you … I'm better off without you … goodbye" songs to pile through, but he's still angry enough to pull a few more out of his sleeve. But when he gets political on "Iron Fist," the singer reaches down deep for an anger more personal that transcends through punk's typical "she left me and broke my heart" high school musings. And to think that just nine years ago this was the same band that wrote songs about peeing in the shower.

Sure, the band is getting a little older and a bit wiser, so maybe it makes sense that they make strides toward maturity. But the band still has one foot out the door and one stuck in its past. "My Everything," and "I Want," both hard driving mid tempo romps in the key of punk, rival anything from the band's stellar self-titled debut, whereas the lazy, laid back ska rhythms of "Uncomfortable" and "Behind the Mask" find the band still in touch with the Lee Perry fan within.

When all is said and done, the old school beats out the new, proving that growth and expansion isn't in the cards for every band.

Whereas many of their contemporaries have amassed fan bases that warrant the exploration of different musical avenues, Goldfinger still earn their props and support from the tried and true punk rock community, and so long as that's the case, the band should stick with what they know.

Grade: C

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 3 2005.