A maniacal slab of DIY punk rock ?

Unfortunately, the record is burdened by a pretentious, overarching narrative about "the Wise One" and his struggle with "the Banished Ones."

She keeps shifting gears in an ill-advised attempt to please too broad an audience.

Halfway through the album, Michael ruins the good mood with a seemingly endless run of soggy, would-be anthems and self-pitying celebrity complaints.

Deeply original? No. A rollicking, sing-along good time? Yes.

The trio, whose sound could be loosely described as arena rock with a heavy nod to the Seattle flannel era, fail to entice the listener with the requisite hooks and melodies that define great songs.

"Forever" is about as glossy as it gets. It's also understandably predictable.