Bad Religion, considered by many enthusiasts to be one of the pre-eminent influences on the modern punk rock sound, are back with “The New America.” Produced by famed rocker Todd Rundgren, the new album is the liveliest recording the band has put out in years.In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Bad Religion helped set the musical standard that enabled pop-punk bands like the Offspring, Green Day and Blink 182 to later enjoy a great deal of commercial success. As their sound moved away from straight punk rock in the later part of the decade, Bad Religion put out some of their most compelling work, culminating in 1994’s “Stranger than Fiction” and 1996’s “The Gray Race.” However, 1998’s “No Substance” was believed at the time to be a possible sign of the band’s decline. Although solid in most respects, the album reeked of an aging band trying vainly to keep up with their younger peers and was listless and unfocused musically. But, fortunately, the decline apparently was short-lived, because “The New America” has found the band re-energized and refocused. It’s not as if the band has transformed. They are basically doing the same thing they’ve been doing for years. Musically, “The New America” isn’t much different than any other Bad Religion album in recent memory, but the songs somehow seem more inspired, the stories are told more passionately and the instruments more driving. The album is particularly strong in its second half, particularly with “A Streetkid Named Desire,” “Whisper in Time,” and “Believe It,” which features former band member Brett Gurewitz on guitar. Other highlights include: “I Love My Computer,” a somewhat humorous but thought-provoking look into relationships over the Internet and “The Hopeless Housewife,” which looks at the establishment that still has control over people’s lives.