Pennywise, NOFX, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Division of Laura Lee
Punk-o-Rama 7

The sticker reads “It’s cheap. It’s good. Buy it before the world ends.” But isn’t even the debased noughties version of punk meant to help save the world? Maybe they’ve given up, what with majors buying up their bands or at least trying to and NoFx playing corporate festivals. I dunno. They prolly dunno and don’t care either. It’s all about the music, not what’s going on in the news or in far away countries, anyway…

I love these lil compilations, they’re summer on a CD. They’re needing to wake up, get kicked out of bed by a power cord and driving drums. They’re a great, cheap and active way of finding new bands. These compilations showcase the best bands on the Epitaph labels including: * Fatwreck, ANTi* (home of Tom Waits and the Promise Ring) and Hell Cat plus their new kindred spirits, hook up with Burning Heart. All the bands have the same fast, critical, yet smiling from their sweaty lips, attitude. So, we get TWENTY-ONE phlegm-filled tracks, including stuff from the recent albums - from the bands who sell as many t-shirts as they do records - the likes of NOFX (‘Olympia, WA’), Pennywise (‘The World’ * from Land of the Free?), *Bad Religion (‘The Defense’ from 'The Process of Belief'), Rancid (‘Bob’)…. If you don’t know who those bands are, you’ll not be spending your fiver on this anyway, so go away, just go, stop reading…

There’s bands you might not know about, like the brillant scandanavians, The (International) Noise Conspiracy. Probably the best band I’ve seen live this year, all bouncing, all damning the man, punching the air, about to take over the world, really, believe; with ’Up for Sale’. There’s the recently dis-interviewed, Division of Laura Lee with their digital-beat driven, dizzy, punk rock anthem ‘Black City’ about people dying on the internet. Mad, but great. Unlike the Dropkick Murphys and their bagpipes. Oh dear…

I really could review this whole thing, track by track, but that’d be really boring, here’s the track listing and if you wanna buy it (cus paying £4.46, finding a new band and supporting a worthwhile independent label, is, ironically, a punk thing to do) click here

**

1. Fingers Crossed - Millencolin

2. Wayfarer - Hot Water Music

3. Up for Sale - The (International) Noise Conspiracy

4. The World - Pennywise

5. Black City - Division Of Laura Lee

6. Olympia, WA - NOFX

7. Addicts of Communication - Randy

8. Hooray for Me - Pulley

9. The Something Special - The Bouncing Souls

10. God Knows - Beatsteaks

11. The Defense - Bad Religion

12. The End - Deviates

13. Heroes from Our Past - The Dropkick Murphys

14. Bob - Rancid

15. Wasted Words - Death By Stereo

16. Love to Be Hated - Agnostic Front

17. Outside Looking In - 1208

18. M.A.D. - 98 Mute

19. My Girlfriend - Guttermouth **