NOFX
Thanks For All The Shoes

By Rob Selina
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CD: Epitaph 0 4577 86518 2 5

  NOFX are one of the most popular punk bands around... and with good reason. These guys are veterans. They put out lots of music and never stop touring. So Long And Thanks For All The Fish is their current album, but looking at their track record, they are due to have another out very soon. Nothing new in over a year is pretty rare for them. There were rumors flying about this being their last album, but I was ten feet away from Fat Mike when he said he would be back next year with new tunes for us, so fear not NOFX fans.

As far as So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes goes, I assume the title is a reference to the incredibly humorous book So Long And Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams. Aside from the title though, there is no similarity between the book and the album.

NOFX's latest is only a little over 30 minutes long, but has 16 kickin' songs! This is what punk is supposed to be; lots of rockin' two-minute tunes. This disc has quite a variety within the tried and true format though. The album starts out with "It's My Job To Keep Punk Rock Elite" which is pretty self explanatory, but they move on to show their sense of humor in "Murder the Government" and "Monosyllabic Girl". The album then takes a turn away from punk into the more mellow tunes like "All Outta Angst" and "Eat the Meek". There is a dominant feeling throughout most of the songs though; the guys are having fun. Don't expect this disc to provoke you or call for revolution. That's not their game anymore. They're getting older and maturing, you can't sing about the same things that bothered you when you were 22 for the rest of your life. So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes reflects that and is more lighthearted than most punk rock. It's still very enjoyable, but it lacks the passion that some of the younger bands have. If you aren't sure if this disc is right for you, pick up a copy of Punk-O-Rama 4 as it features "Kids Of The K-Hole", the second track on the album. Keep in mind though that it does sound a little better on the full-length album since it's recorded in HDCD. If you're a NOFX fanatic like me, this is a must have album, for those of you who are starting to explore indie rock, you might want to put your money elsewhere.

Enjoyment: 68

Sound Quality: 75