In Brief

*** Reel Big Fish, “Why Do They Rock So Hard?,” Mojo. These zany third-wave Southern California ska-punksters evolve and “grow up” a bit on their second Mojo effort. Some of the terrific horn-based pop tunes here don’t even resemble ska, although the band’s sardonic take on life and pop stardom remains consistent on such gems as “She’s Famous Now,” “Big Star” and the marvelous “We Care.” Less juvenile but still often hilarious.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).

Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: http://mediakit.nohib.com/soundclips