Review Summary: A four minute, two song EP from Cali punk band NOFX.
Note to reader. This review is
not, by any means, meant to blow your squishy little mind. I simply was clicking along and came across (gross right?) an odd
NOFX EP by the name of
”13 Stitches”. Released sometime in 2003 and containing only two songs (one acoustic) you might think I’m just wasting my time with this. Maybe so, however boredom has a way of sneaking up on me and thus a review is born.
Starting off in the acoustic fashion is the song
”13 Stitches”. The acoustic guitar playing is nothing amazing but its purpose is fitting and the groove is pleasant. The singing, courtesy of the famed,
”Fat Mike” creates a friendly vibe recalling a soothing time around the camp fire. What really makes this acoustic song stand out is its overall theme. Basically it seems that Mike and some girlfriend are having a crazy time at a local concert. But crazy isn’t the only type of time they’re sharing. NOFX even throws a few jabs at other bands. The quirky lyrics are really what make the song so much fun -
“The next time I went to the whiskey, it was “D.O.A” with “Millions of Dead Cops”
The latter band played faster than I could believe
But the songs sounded the same and kinda sucked
'cept John Wayne was a nazi, and Joey ***head was a drunk”
So that would be the first song. The second song,
”Glass War” is pretty much the opposite of the first. In place of the cheery, acoustic vibe is a rashly frantic punk anthem. Through the simplistic hammering of guitar and surprisingly intricate bass play is the brisk shriek of,
”glass war, glass war, it's a glass war, glass war, glass war”. Looking deeper into the lyrics of, “Glass War”, reveal the more political side of NOFX. A few saucy one liners shown below –
”'Cause only poor men are dying in the gas war!”
”'Cause the president's an asshole, it's an ass war!”
”The slogan men were starters of the last war!”
Throw in a lot of splashy drumming and even more helicopter sounding guitars and before you know it you’re at the end of the EP. Yeah, that’s it, only four minutes and the songs aren’t super extreme so don’t expect too much. Other than that I’d say it was a pretty good four minutes.
