What do you get when you assign your class to form a rock group? Stroke 9, that’s what.

Stroke 9 is made up of Luke Esterkyn on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Fisch on drums, John McDermott on guitar and Greg Gueldner on bass.

Their first album, Boys Meets Girl, was followed by Bumper to Bumper and then Nasty Little Thoughts.

After Stroke 9’s third album, you know, the one with the Little Black Back Pack song, it was questionable whether or not they had any Nasty Little Thoughts left. Or if they would fall into a slump with their fourth album, Rip It Off.

After listening to the record, it is clear that they are back and better than ever. Beginning with Latest Disaster and all the way to the last track, California, Stroke 9 mixes emotional highs and lows and then brings it all together into a well-written record.

One of the cool things about this cd is the variety that has been accomplished.

Stroke 9 has achieved an album that contains songs ranging from catchy and up beat (see Kick Some Ass) to slow and emotional (see We Were Wrong). All of the songs, no matter what the tempo, are strong and diverse.

There are several songs that are a lot of fun to listen to. These include Latest Disaster, 100 Girls and Do It Again. The last two of those have a lot of sexual humor in them that make them funny and appealing for some people.

Another aspect is the level of maturity that the band has reached. They may have stuck to the things that they excel at (vocals and guitars), but their music displays a higher level of development.

The lyrics of some of the songs on this album show some of the perks of being a rock star.. In 100 Girls, Esterkyrn sings about, shockingly enough, 100 girls that he has met. These include ‘Katherine in Manhattan,’ ‘Valerie who hated money,’ and ‘Caroline from Amesterdam.’

I know that I may be the only one who actually knows who this band is, except for all of the people, like family and friends, I force to listen to them over and over again.

I’m sure you have never heard of Stroke 9, but I suggest you rip it off, buy it, burn it, do whatever is necessary to get your hands on this CD; it will be worth it.