Nofx - So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes

MINE

So this is what the fuss is all about.  This is who does the definitive US ska-punk sound.  It's good, in fact it's very good.  But it's a pity that sound gets a bit repetitive to me after a while.

I think it's because most tracks have got that really fast beat, that I know I just wouldn't be able to keep up with after about, oh, two songs?  Even though each one only lasts about 2 minutes!  Anyway, now I know why YourZ likes these guys so much.  It's good music, played and produced well.  Pity I don't really like it.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN


YOURZ

First there was light.  And it was smashed by NoFX.  All the pretenders who came after them have been literally left in the dark by these punk stalwarts.  These guys are the real deal, defiantly giving the bird to major labels and MTV and managing themselves and their career without the usual aides and management teams for nearly 30 years. 

Their songs cover everything from politics and religion to domestic violence.  They are unapologetic, opiniated and talented to boot.  They make most other California punk bands look like pussys.  They live and breathe their music and, despite the lineup changes over the years, have become one of the most stable, truly independant acts in the world.

So Long... runs the gamut of their styles, from ska to melodic punk to sneery bursts of attitude all accompanied by their smart and sometimes smart-arse lyrics.  The opener, It's My Job To Keep Punk Rock Elite, is a perfect example of both.  Then there is the social commentary of Dad's Bad News, the punk love song, Champs Elysees, sung in French and the full-bore, fists in the air statement that is Murder The Government (no, they don't really mean it - well, not really).  The ska of Eat The Meek and 180 Degrees shows the depth of musical talent they have.  They really could be a truly great ska band, if they wanted.  Thankfully, they don't.

Perhaps the funniest part of the record comes about   seconds after the last track on the album, Falling In Love.  It is a recording of an actually radio show where, obviously, someone behind the scenes is a NOFX fan and had put up a single of theirs for airplay.  The comments from the DJ are hilarious. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP


For more information: http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/