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"Live in a Dive" No Use For a Name |
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No use for a name… how about no use for another studio album. Considering the sound quality of their first foray into the live front, I don't think anything they'll do in the studio could compare. Boasted as a state-of-the-art recording from a 24 track, the sound's amazing, sometimes a little too good. Except for the between song crowd uprisings, you'd hardly know the difference. No Use For a Name's been a veteran on the Punk scene for nearly fifteen years now and we're covering all the bases here with these twenty cuts spanning their six releases plus a shellacking version of The Misfits' "I Turned Into a Martian" and the mastery of those infamous "whoa, whoa, ohs…" for appreciative ghouls everywhere. "Live in a Dive" basically says it all for Punk bands, that's what it's all about, as good as it gets, and let's face it we're talkin' dedication here! And these guys have been dedicated longer than most groups could hold it together to argue over the next direction their new album will take. No Use hasn't changed much, we'll assume they've had their share of in studio arguments, and yes, band members have come and gone but their "Daily Grind" continues on a solid course of tempered aggression, catchy maneuvers or random acts of senseless melody, pick it, either way, the songs pull you in take ya for a joyride, crash, recover, and walk away scratched and smiling. Newcomers won't notice a major difference to these guys from the many typically "Fat" styled or So. Cal cruiser NOFX fan friendly lollipop junkies-high on toxic humor, schooled in the art of verse, shower-friendly chorus-pick blindly at any number off the Epitaph roster and chances are there's a dual exhaust pointing right at ya. Not just any live CD however, this one comes accompanied by select on tour live video footage plus a clever comic book documenting the hazards of life on the road from gory car crashes to cavity searches to snappy answers to stupid questions… hey, wait a minute. Basically it's a fully packaged
NC17 good time seen, heard, swallowed and crapped out later. Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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More Betterness No Use For A Name |
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Track Listing: As one of the more melodic punk rock bands around, No Use For A Name have made a name for themselves for making some of the more thoughtful and rock-sounding songs on the punk scene. This album definitely has a very melodic feel to it, whilst still keeping the music quite powerful, but the most noticeable and significant thing about it is definitely the lyrics, which are constantly moving and expressive, and brilliantly delivered. In fact, there are few punk albums which consistently maintain such excellent lyrics on every song whilst maintaining the kind of integrity found here. Whilst the slightly repetitive sounding music might not suit those tastes accustomed to more hardcore punk, people into bands like NOFX and other California punk bands will more than likely enjoy the bands style, which somehow seems more laid back than a lot of other more aggressive bands. Although even fans of more melodic punk music might be surprised by some of the unusual tracks on this album which are positively mellow rock, like 'Let It Slide' and 'Saddest Song', which have such awesome power simply because they are brilliantly produced and have more meaning to them than many other lesser bands might produce in an entire album. And isn't that what punk's always been about? The meaning. The highlight for me of this album has to be the amazing cover of 'Fairytale of New York', which is just one of the best covers I've ever heard - incidentally one of NUFAN's strong points (their cover of 'Redemption Song' on 'Leche Con Carne is also amazing). On Fat Wreck Chords: www.fatwreck.com Review by David Brown |
