NOFX

Editor's Review:

NOFX is to punk rock what Alan Greenspan is to the Federal Reserve Bank. (How’s that for an analogy?) They both just keep on keeping on, juggling the pressures of imminent disaster at every juncture. Well, perhaps not so much in NOFX’s case, but they’ve both been at their respective games since the mid-80s, so that says something.

Following up their strange concept EP, The Decline (an 18-minute punk opus), Fat Mike and his motley bunch have returned to what they do best — making punk rock that kicks ass with lyrics about silly things like lesbian lovers and weed-smoking parents. Never to be taken too seriously, the credibility-laden NOFX kicks off the album with some kind of intro that’s supposed to sound like the beginning of their other album, Punk in Drublic. Why? Because they can, that’s why. For some reason there’re a lot of songs about drugs too, which may make some sense since their name stands for "no fucking straight edge." These guys play completely on their own terms, what with never getting played on the radio or MTV and thus basically giving Corporate America the finger. Gotta give them credit for that.

Musically, I’d say this album is a step up from the previous full length, So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes, which to me always sounded a little down and depressing. For this effort Fat Mike puts his nasal drone to work, actually singing on tracks like "What’s the Matter with Parents Today?" and "Clams Have Feelings Too." His lyrical content also gets a nod for the graphically amusing track, "My Vagina" because it’s just vintage NOFX.

-M. Cameron Newell

Bookmark:

Record Label Epitaph Released April 2000

Tracks 1. And Now For Something Completely Similar 2. Take Two Placebos And Call Me Lame 3. What's The Matter With Parents Today? 4. Dinosaurs Will Die 5. Thank God It's Monday 6. Clams Have Feelings Too (Actually They Don't) 7. Louise 8. Stranger Than Fishin 9. Pharmacist's Daughter 10. Bottles To The Ground 11. Total Bummer 12. My Vagina 13. Herojuana 14. Theme From A NOFX Album