Jersey boy Albert Kahn is blasting out to give Blink 182 a run for their money. Fresh-faced and politically perceptive, Kahn’s “band,” Vayizaku, is entirely the brainchild and performing chops of Kahn himself. It’s a non-stop pop-punk joyride, sure to tickle the fancies of anyone that digs Green Day, NOFX, or any melodic punk with a purpose. Songs range from liberty-spiked love ballads to fist-pumping Labor Movement anthems. While Kahn’s originals are catchy, driven ass-kickers, the highlight in this reviewer’s opinion is the Vayizaku rendition of the immortal IWW union song, “Solidarity Forever.” According to his website, the name Vayizaku is taken from the Hebrew word meaning, “to cry out,” which couldn’t be more appropriate for the tunes. Ralph Chaplin would be proud to hear his classic coal-miner rallying cry echoed almost a century down the line, in the raucous, youthful voice of the people of the day: punk effin’ rock. It’s the most stirring, full-fisted “hell yeah” to come out of punk rock since the Dropkick Murphys took on “Which Side Are You On?”

Kahn is also quite the instrumentalist, displaying mastery not only of all guitars, bass, and drums throughout this one-man album, but piano and vox harmonies, too. Nowhere is this more evident than on the 5+ minute epic, “Ocean.” Let It Begin is a good-natured, pop punk bulls-eye, and a vicious Wet Willy to the Man. Let it continue!

Favorite: Track 4 “Solidarity Forever”

Steve Gunn is a hard-boiled suburban New Yorker with a PhD in rockology and the propensity to point with full-throttle moxie up to his ears and unflinchingly declare, “Hey! These things ain’t garbage cans, y’know!” sisterray@myway.com