Blag Dahlia's way with words has always somehow managed to make an impact on me. I still remember that frat guy turning around in Biology class after he heard me mumbling the chorus to "Fuck You Up and Get High." Sucka...

The latest Dwarves lineup contains only two original members, and parodies itself with two naked women, a dwarf and lots of soapy bubbles on the cover of Come Clean. Superstar producer Eric Valentine lends his skills to hone tunes like "How It's Done," "Over You" and "Better Be Women" into could-be radio hits. The problem is, scumbag extraordinaire Blag Dahlia blesses each song with some vulgarian diatribes, smarmy slander about lesbians and other typical Dwarves reference points, steering these songs (and the whole album for that matter) away from any hope of reaching Hitsville, USA.

You’ve gotta hand it to the band, as its members have persevered through many a trying time, and after landing a deal with Epitaph they've put out an album that’s not necessarily the band’s best work (attempt a listen to "Johnny On the Spot" and you’ll wonder who wrote this pile, complete with an irritating "whoa-whoa" chorus!). But Come Clean still has some classic lines -- uncool shit your parents will hate, which may even breach your own personal line of decency.

If you've followed the Dwarves over the years, this album is noticeably lacking the unbridled rage and reckless abandon that blasted from their previous releases. Instead of copping an attitude, Blag & Co. lean towards actually crafting some genuine tunes that are certainly appreciable from a punk fan's perspective. If you enjoy the Dwarves' asshole personality approach to everything from songwriting to the band's notoriously short sets, you'll probably be let down this time around, but you can't do the same schtick forever -- can you?