What an album! Upon first listning to it, some songs seemed long and there was a drag to the overall flow of the album. But after listening numerous times, i really started to appreciate the musicianship and thought put into the record. In my opinion, this is Nomeansno at their artistic peak. The dingy production quality just makes it all the more moving. The first side starts off with more of a punk vibe to it with cuts like "Dad" and the title trace. The funky, loud, noisy instrumental jam of "Obsessed" gets me tapping my feet every time i listen to it. "Love Thang" is a weird, original, rocking tune with interesting lyrics, the songwriting skills are really evident here, lots of odd timing and well planned rises in tension. "No Fgnuikc" I believe is the first accapella song Nomeansno ever recorded. Very cool to listen to. "Dead Bob" is somewhat of a crossover between the punk beginning of this CD to the "Art Rock" of the second side. Lyrics about suicide and an ending that quotes Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" make this song yet another Nomeansno epic. "Self Pity" and "Long Days" are samples of what three guys from Victoria can do with nothing more than a guitar, a bass, a drumkit, and their voices. The two songs grab you with their creepy atmospheres and sudden lashes into their punk roots. Weird lyrics and awesome vocals top off "Self Pity" and a mean bass line (in the style of "Big Dick" and "Rags and Bones") drives Long Days.
And on to my favorite cut....Metronome! I love this song. Rob Wright can really write an infectious bass line! I learned it last night and can not stop myself from playing it. The lyrics are smart, weird, and downright amazing. I love singing along with this song. In my opinion, it the height of Nomeansno's early recordings. Rob, John and Andy are really grooving, and it shows. The Live and Cuddley version is good, but nowhere near as good as this.
The album ends with the "epic" song, "Revenge", but I find that its somewhat pointless to follow up the last three songs with pseudo-clasic rock song, but its still awesome. I'm not even going to take off a point for ending with the 'wrong' song, because even though its weaker than some of the other songs on the album, its miles ahead of anything else i can think of.
Buy this album! ...or download it off Soulseek if you can't find it. At any rate, listen to it. Let your ears and mind take over.
