No Use For A Name: The Feel Good Record Of The Year

The Indie Review

By Sean Duregger
June 14, 2008

Artist: No Use For A Name
Album: The Feel Good Record of the Year
Label: Fat Wreck Chords

Rating:

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No Use For A Name are one of the few major contributors to the 90s punk rock scene still churning out records and touring. With their 9th studio album, The Feel Good Record of the Year, No Use For A Name are showing no signs of slowing down and show us that consistancy can be a good thing. You won’t find any outrageous experimentation or anyone trying to re-define the band. Although there are moments where NUFAN dabble in some mellower territory, The Feel Good Record of the Year is a solid album that gives us a little more diversity, without sacrificing everything we love about NUFAN.

The Feel Good Record of the Year shows NUFAN dabbling in the more mellow side of things, which comes out as a mixed bag and occasionally stalls the momentum of the album. While I enjoy this direction, I feel the album could have gone without the song Kill the Rich which just doesn’t feel like a NUFAN song. Also, being the second to last song, kills the momentum of the album as a whole. That being said, Sleeping Between Trucks is a heartfelt and honest song about the cost of touring; and Ontario offers a nice quiet moment to the album.

No Use For A Name take all the elements that have worked for them throughout their career and molded a satisfying album. Opening with the song Biggest Lie, NUFAN showcase the aggression of earlier albums crossed with the melodies of recent albums. Like most NUFAN albums, it’s hard to single out the great songs on the album. There are so many memorable moments, with each song offering something interesting.

The Feel Good Record of the Year is a great album and holds up along side NUFAN’s impressive career. While some moments work better than others, it’s great to see No Use For A Name branching out and trying new things. Overall, after not hearing anything new from NUFAN for 3 years, The Feel Good Record of the Year is greeted by this reviewer with an enthusiastic “welcome back” and with no signs of slowing down any time soon, I’m looking forward to the next effort already.

Stand Out Tracks:

“Biggest Lie”

“I Want to be Wrong”

“Night of the Living Living”