Watered Down

The hype and media scrutiny that have accompanied the Distillers' leap onto a major label would have made better subject matter than the vaguely philosophical imagery that occupies nearly half of Coral Fang. Maybe next time around. As it is, if Granelli's oddly Zen-like analogy for all the hoo-ha represents the band's attitude, the Distillers seem almost disturbingly removed from such self-examination.

"If you're a cabinetmaker," Granelli explained, somehow without affecting a stereotypical kung-fu master accent, "and all of a sudden, the biggest cabinetmaker in the world, with, like, the best reputation, is like, 'We want you to come work for us,' and you become known as this rippin' cabinetmaker, other cabinetmakers don't call you a sellout. They just say, 'He's doing a good job at his trade.' That's, like, the way we feel too."