NUFAN is feelin' good

By Eric Jaen
Collegian Editor
April 9, 2008

Since 1987, No Use For A Name has managed to crank out eight full-length albums of melodious punk rock by way of San Jose, Calif. After moving towards and refining a slightly more pop punk sound on their late ’90s releases, their evolution looked as if it had lost some steam with 2005’s Keep Them Confused. While by no means a terrible record, a decent portion of it just seemed to lack the energy and the ability to capture a listener’s interest compared to its predecessors.

Consequently, my expectations for new NUFAN material were not very high, but after hearing two cuts via MySpace, “Biggest Lie” and “I Want to be Wrong,” it definitely sounded as if the quartet had returned to form with their ninth full-length, The Feel Good Record of the Year. Both tracks take listeners back to the edgy, kick-in-your-teeth style the band was known for circa Leche Con Carne, all while utilizing the armaments of guitar/vocalist Tony Sly’s nearly perfect knack for birthing the most melodious melodies to pierce the human ears.

While the opening minutes of the album may allude to a throwback of sorts, NUFAN is hardly re-writing an old album. Songs like the synth-driven “Yours To Destroy” and the piano-based ballad “Ontario” show the band’s continuing motivation to experiment and step past the boundaries of traditional punk rock. Additionally, the tracks entitled, “Sleeping Between Trucks” and “Kill The Rich” are a shoe-in for causing some bewilderment amongst listeners with their acoustic-folk stylings. However, both fit surprisingly well with the rest of the release, and their placement on the track listing break up the album nicely, giving listeners a brief breather from the onslaught of rock.

Where a track such as “Night of the Living Living” delivers two-and-a-half-minutes of angst-filled goodness with guitar licks in the vein of early NOFX, “Pacific Standard Time” and “The Feel Good Song of the Year” will just make you feel good, pun intended. In a similar fashion, the album’s closer, “Take It Home,” will serve as the perfect springtime anthem. Built with a simple drum roll and combined with their trademark hooks, listeners will love singing along to the chorus of, “But the light that keeps on burning is on the same page you’ve been turning/Ignorance for some is just a way of life.”

Looking for a fun ditty to snap your fingers and bop your head to? Well, the danceable mid-tempo drumbeats of “The Trumpet Player” will get listeners strutting around the confines of their own room like the man himself, Ric Flair. By the track’s end, they’ll be quick to pose the question, “Hey NUFAN, got any bread to go with these jams?”

With the help of Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore manning the production helms this time around, The Feel Good Record of the Year is by far a much stronger album than Keep Them Confused. Fans who weren’t too fond of the more recent releases should give this disc a spin, and while it may not be their best record, it’s at least top three material. More importantly, it is audio proof that NUFAN is back on their A-game, and by golly does that feel good.

jaene1@lasalle.edu