*** Reel Big Fish

TURN THE RADIO OFF

(Mojo/Universal)

To hell with No Doubt. And Goldfinger. And every other watered-down, one-hit-wonder ska wanna-be. A mediocre horn section does not a ska band make -- but trombonists Grant Barry and Dan Regan and trumpeter Tavis Werts provide a spectacular, funky flow on Reel Big Fish's debut. Turn the Radio Off pulls away from the faux pop of Gwen Stefani and friends, ridicules the Alternative Nation in every single song, and turns out a fun (and very funny) collection of Specials-esque funk and ska.

Leadoff single "Sell Out" rips with its triumphant horn and guitar riffs; "Snoop Dog, Baby" heralds hip-hop as a reminder of a lost love. ("Snoop Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg," lead singer Aaron Barrett whines. "They were playin' that song . . . and I thought about her.") "Alternative. Baby," "Trendy," and "Everything Sucks" all dis the music industry, as does most of the album. But in "S.R.," Reel Big Fish don't sugarcoat their distaste for alternica. "Whatever happened to suburban rhythm," Barrett asks. "All the other bands are just shit." Well, almost all of them.

-- Jonathan Vena