Tyson!

A lot of my favorite singles from 2005 came from '04 albums, so it's fitting that the title track from the All-American Rejects' Move Along is the first 2006 single that I've connected with. I initially shelved the album, feeling that, for all its earnest gloss, it lacked the imaginative arrangements that made their debut such a delight - a logical if uninspiring outcome for a studio duo that grew into a live-oriented four-piece. Months later, with "Your Little Secret" suddenly cracking the pop top ten and Fuse pushing lesser wares at me whenever I graze past, I can now appreciate the hooks present and the bottom-end oomph that's replaced the Spectorisms. Tyson Ritter's as much of a bawling automaton as his peers, but you have to bother to understand what he's going on about (he's getting more than he did before they went gold, but there's still pain in the rain). Excepting a few bash-free ballads, their punk-pop is chewy enough to distract. Anybody who sees the video first will disagree, though.