Now that the long-awaited resurrection of Weezer has come, it?s cool for young America to listen to nice pop rock again. Now what all the kids need is a rock band closer to their age group, one that they can stick with and rely on for the future.

With their first radio single, “California,” from their new album “The Guest,” one would think that Phantom Planet could be the next big thing. The catchy and surprisingly hard tribute to their home state is an exhilarating self-introduction to the rock world that has the potential to do for the band what “Last Nite” did for The Strokes last year. However, if the lackluster remainder of the album is a sign of the band?s plans for the future, then expect record stores to start stocking bottles of water in front of Phantom Planet?s shelf space.

It?s hard to hate this southern California quintet, but with the songs they offer on their sophomore effort, Phantom Planet also makes it hard to get excited about them. After opening their album with “California,” the album takes a sharp nosedive. Although their loyal fans, mostly young girls in Los Angeles, might enjoy songs like “Always on my Mind,” “Lonely Day” and “Hey Now Girl,” I doubt that many males will appreciate it ? not because the majority of men are more insensitive, but because most will probably fall asleep before the fifth track.

This is not to say that in order for a rock band to rock, they have to emulate the heavy sounds of Korn or the Deftones, but there should be some distinct emotion that feels like it could only have been produced by that band. Some tracks contain sparks of this feeling, but most of the time I feel that I?m listening to a group of kids that just began playing music after they heard Travis? “The Man Who” two years ago. The fact that I know they have been together longer than that, and that their influences cover a much broader scope, makes “The Guest” all the more disappointing.With an album that sounds less than satisfactory, it is difficult to point out their weakness on the recording end. Phantom Planet?s lineup consists of Jacques Brautber (guitar), Darren Robinson (guitar), Sam Farrar (bass), Jason Shwartzman (drums) and Alex Greenwald (vocals and guitar). With three guitars, the sounds of good old British Rock comes to mind, although when listening I couldn?t help but wonder what all of those guitars are doing. Greenwald?s lyrics are fluffy, but fluffy like nighttime lullabies; not political, not psychological and not very amusing. “All Over Again” and “Wishing Well,” emo-type songs where he flexes some of his raw vocal power, are the only songs where the singer sounds truly sincere.

The problem could be producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, who between them have produced artists such as Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Pearl Jam and Sheryl Crow. Although they are very experienced, could the problem be that a young band might not be better off with producers who are too confortable with the recording process?

No matter how you look at it, this album could have been better, but the source of dysfunction remains elusive. The title of the last song is “Something is Wrong.” Hopefully they can find out just what it is before Weezer retires.