No Use For A Name
The Daily Grind |
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©1993 Fat Wreck Chords 1. Until It's Gone 2. What's His Name 3. Permanent Rust 4. Biomag 5. Countdown 6. Hazardous To Yourself 7. The Daily Grind 8. Feeding The Fire |
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After a sketchy debut and a mildy improved sophomore effort, No Use For a Name established themselves on the early to mid-90s pop-punk scene with the brief, but potent, The Daily Grind. Naturally the comparisons to Bad Religion and Pennywise could be made in abundance, but in cases where a band has such obvious influences, it's best to simply concentrate on the merits of the songwriting and performance. In that regard, The Daily Grind is one of the better releases for the style. With energetic riffing that borrows a bit from speed metal and a bit from punk and a good sense of melody (although singer Tony Sly's voice lacks the range of many of his contemporaries), The Daily Grind is a fairly enjoyable romp. The singalong quality is intact, the adrenaline rush of the pacing is powerful and the melodies are catchier than a pop-up fly ball. I'm certain the more cynical out there might point out this sound and style has been done to death in the 90s, but to No Use For a Name's credit, they released this album before the onslaught of the zillions of snotty brats who formed bands and played pop music over a punk tempo. While this music is still best played for teenage boys with far too much testosterone in need of a mosh pit, The Daily Grind should also appeal to those who honestly enjoy the melodic punk scene. No Use for a Name didn't really ever go about establishing themselves as the most original or best band of the genre, but they did at least release one noteworthy record. Review by John Chedsey Review date: 11/2002 |
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Making Friends |
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©1998 Fat Wreck Chords 1. The Answer Is Still No 2. Invincible 3. Growing Down 4. On The Outside 5. A Postcard Would Be Nice 6. Secret 7. Best Regards 8. Revenge 9. Sidewalk 10. 3 Month Weekend 11. Sitting Duck 12. Fields Of Athenry |
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I would have written this review sooner, but it's hard to type while you're stifling yawns. NUFAN (the handy acronym for these boys) have released another album full of quick-tempo bubble-gum punk that further places them into dreadful homogenized BORECORE (to borrow a phrase from Lee Steadham). Not a single song stands out as they are basically the same style riffing, same drum patterns and song arrangements throughout the entire CD. Oh wait, there's a moment where Karina from the Dance Hall Crashers adds her wonderful voice and another song that is a slower tempo...but overall this is the kind of generic kidstuff that I can do without. Five years ago NUFAN was somewhat exciting. Today they are another faceless bland band. Review by John Chedsey Review date: 07/1998 |
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