NoFX

One of the things I’m doing with my restart of this project is really kind of taking the schedule as it comes. If I don’t feel like doing an entry some day, I’m not going to sweat it. Hopefully, that will make sure that I keep going for plenty of time. So, let’s see what we’ve got today!

NoFX, “The Cause”

I wonder if my kids will listen to this kind of punk when they get older. I wonder if any kids do? It is absolutely true that I haven’t got a clue what most kids listen to, so all I really know is that I still see kids wander around in Dead Kennedys gear and the like. So maybe?

Sorry we’ve missed a couple days around here. I’m gonna lie and say it’s not going to happen again. All good now! Here’s today.

Tricky, “Demise”

We’ve heard from Portishead and Massive Attack, and now it’s time to hear from the other giant of trip-hop, Tricky. Tricky’s debut, Maxinquaye, ranks up there with Dummy and Blue Lines as one of the masterpieces of electronic music from the early to mid 90s. Alas, this does not come from Maxinquaye, but from the much later Angels With Dirty Faces, which is only so-so.

Excellent, punk leaning set today.

Joyce Manor, “Eighteen”

I don’t think there’s been any period of time after the punk explosion where there were not bands making pop punk of some variety or another. You can basically draw an unbroken line from, say, Stiff Little Fingers up through the bands of today. So, here’s Joyce Manor, very much in that classic pop punk tradition. And it’s fun!

christian fitness, “other men’s wives”

Andrew Falkous with another track from his solo act, which really does pretty much just sound like Future of the Left. Which I mentioned last time, but whatever.

Fun batch of stuff today.

NoFX, “Louise”

Have we had a lot of NoFX lately? Feels like we have, even if the “previously"s tell me that we haven’t. Well, anyway, here’s some more.

Radiohead, “Backdrifts”

Well, there’s always NoFX’s opposite, Radiohead. I never got along that well with Hail To The Thief, although I suspect that’s at least partially because I haven’t really given it the sustained attention it probably needs. Anyway, I’m enjoying this song.

I don’t have a lot to say about today’s songs. Sorry about that.

NoFX, “Total Bummer”

Yup, that’s a NoFX song. Damn, I have a lot of NoFX albums. I really did enjoy them a lot at one time.

Mr. Lif, “World Renown”

Yeah, that’s more like it. Always happy to hear Del the Funky Homosapien show up on something. This is from Lif’s comeback album, Don’t Look Down, a welcome record to show up. I’ll always have room for a guy rhyming “Charybdis”.

A couple of very influential releases today.

Eric B. & Rakim, “My Melody”

This is a track from Paid in Full, a groundbreaking record where Rakim raised the bar for MCs far beyond where it was before. It’s a record where his rhyming still sounds fresh, a testament to how far he was ahead of the game. The beats haven’t aged quite as well, but the record as a whole is still a great listen, and is one of the crucial records for understanding where hip-hop came from.

A new month for Five Songs! How long will this keep going? I don’t know, but I’ve managed to get past the first couple weeks just fine, so maybe this has some legs. This entry also has a playlist.

Oh man, we just miseed Steel Pole Bath Tub’s “Train to Miami” for this collection. Ugh, such a good song. But rules are rules!

NoFX, “Mean People Suck”

NoFX delivering a super sophisticated message with this song, which can be summed up as “mean people suck”. The breathtaking nuance they display here would be a hallmark of their punk career. Anyway, NoFX is one of those immutable yardsticks of music, a benchmark that you can use to explain other bands. “Yeah, they’re like NoFX crossed with…” or “they sort of sound like NoFX, only they…”. That sort of thing.