While Larry Livermore hasn't been involved with Lookout Records since 1997, it's hard not to associate his new Adeline compilation, The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore, with that label. Highlighting 16 up-and-coming pop-punk bands selected by the guy who brought Green Day, Operation Ivy and the Mr. T Experience to the masses, The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore essentially houses a dream team of Lookout-indebted bands. That it would come out so soon after the label officially went out of business is an unfortunate coincidence.

Then again, everything about Thing seems steeped in retro sensibilities. It was curated by someone who actually saw Op Ivy back in the day. It's on vinyl. It comes with a zine. It's a compilation that's actually A) good and B) hopefully going to introduce some really cool bands to people. This comp is defiantly old fashioned.

I'd call it nostalgic too, were it not for Livermore's pretty interesting essay that opens the zine. He essentially argues against nostalgia, claiming that while it would be cool to see the great bands of yesteryear, there will always be a great current crop of bands too. Live in the now. Thanks to that series of tubes we call the Internets, there's only one, global punk rock scene.

Thing essentially hones in on 16 bands from North America that are doing pop-punk proud. If you like Green Day's Kerplunk, buy this record. If you like the Ramones, buy this record. If you want to help me get Mean Jeans into the White House, buy this record. Speaking of which, Mean Jeans are having a great year in terms of output. "Bad Dream" is yet another romper-stomper from the band. Dear Landlord, City Mouse, House Boat and Weekend Dads all turn in strong cuts as well. Then again, this comp is so solid throughout that it's hard to elevate any one band.

A note on Emily's Army, though: Yeah, their placement on an Adeline release smacks of nepotism, but their track "Good Looks" is actually pretty catchy and fits in with heavy hitters like the Dopamines and Mean Jeans. Deal with it.

This comp is already sold out online, although a handful of the featured bands are touring behind it and may or may not have copies. Failing that, there's always digital. But where's the fun in that?