Review Summary: This is the "Painkiller" of Punk Rock; a legendary band reinventing itself with any stereotype they can reach and creating a masterpiece in the process.
First, let me explain why a lot of people won't like this album. The Dwarves are probably best known for their early era live show-- a very good chance of male nudity and people getting punched in the face (band, audience, whomever) with only a slightly smaller chance of fellatio and bags of cocaine being thrown on stage. More sex, drugs and rock and roll than you should probably ask for in a 10 minute set. The Dwarves' early albums support that live show; fast, fierce, dirty and unapologetic. (I remember trying to count the uses of "***" on Blood, Guts and Pussy and giving up because I was laughing too hard)
Young and Good Looking takes the Dwarves in a new direction, away from hardcore punk and practically to pop punk's doorstep. The songs slowed down, the lyrics got more intelligible, the album doubled in length (24 whole minutes!!), there were hooks now and you could sing along. It was like the Dwarves had sold out, except that you could still never get these songs on the radio.
So what makes this album classic? In a word, everything. 10 years after giving up on punk and listening to mostly metal everyday I still know all the words by heart. The lyrics cover everything I expect from the Dwarves: killing baby jesus (Unrepentant), killing people in general (We Must Have Blood), sex with minors (Demonica), sex with people in general (One Time Only, Pimp) but set for the first time to memorable music. There is self loathing (I Will Deny) and incredible narcissism (Ballad of Vadge Moore), satire (Everybodies Girl) and annihilation (Throw that World Away). Nearly every song is a hit (except ironically "Hits" which is funny the first time, but gets old quickly) in a stereotypical punk rock way. Tongue-in-cheek, melodic, simple. And while the anger of their live show is gone-- this isn't a live album. If you can forget what you know about the Dwarves for 24 minutes, you'll find this probably matches any NOFX album in terms of witty lyrics, with less filler and more "teach children to worship Satan". If that doesn't make you want to buy the album, at least get it for the naked girl holding a skateboard and wearing a ski mask!
Most Crucial Tracks:
I Will Deny
Demonica
Ballad of Vadge Moore
The Crucifixion is Now
