No Use For A Name has a special place in my heart. They, along with Blink 182 are what got me really into rock music. Some of their songs, I considered my “favorite” at one point in my life. One of them is “Friends Of The Enemy” from the album Hard Rock Bottom. I highly suggest you try some of their “old” stuff. It’s strong and will leave a lasting impression on you. All of their material up until that album was a gradual growth and perhaps, maturity of the band. But with Keep Them Confused in 2005, I can say I was heartbreakingly disappointed. I didn’t like the album at all. I thought they were aged past their prime. I thought that the politics and other social B.S. had gotten the better of their band.

But OH!, how wrong I was. Maybe they took a hint and went back to their old roots? This new album, The Feel Good Record Of The Year is as melodic as melodic punk rock gets. Yes, I did just sort of coin that genre, but as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, melodies and vocals far outweigh the instrumentals for me. If you are like me, then what are you waiting for? Put your name down for a copy! Tony Sly does an amazing job of singing, and not yelling or screaming as many punk rocks have turned to. I URGE you to just play that first song. One chance, and you will be hooked. You can listen to this album on a lonely winter night as well as a summer cruise with the convertible top down (or windows).

For those who have never heard Nufan’s stuff, or even heard of the band, start here and dig through YouTube videos of their older songs. I’m one very music connoisseur today.

I’m not going to lie. Reviewing a band as diverse and unique as DeVotchKa is a little intimidating; not to mention this being their first album I’ve listened through. I personally can’t describe the band any better than their Wiki page: “DeVotchKa is a four piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble that fuses Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, and Mariachi music with American punk and folk roots.” See what I mean by diverse and unique? They started off playing burlesque shows before breaking it big with “How It Ends” and playing at the Bonnaroo music festival in ‘06. Now they’re kicking off their biggest tour yet at Coachella, this April.

My expectations for A Mad & Faithful Telling weren’t entirely high so there wasn’t any chance of disappointment for this album, but I’ve listened through it a few times now and this is truly a work of art. They really separate themselves from the crowd with something so much more different but it comes out divine. It is a universally beautiful album in the sense that everybody will enjoy it. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the average person can listen to this on their way to work, but if they had to, they wouldn’t be complaining. The vocals, the instruments, the rhythm–it’s all just a wonderful blend and mixture of an audible-harmony.

Personally, no track sticks out as a favorite because they were all rendered so well. Each individual song shines bright enough to light up a small city. A Mad & Faithful Telling is a melting pot of far too many genres to give proper comparison, but it shouldn’t really matter since you will get this album and see for yourself ;). Now, you’re getting sleepy.. your eyes are growing heavy.. you’re opening the iTunes store..