NOFX

The Decline (2000)

Scott Heisel

So NOFX decided they wanted to pull an "Iron Butterfly" and record an 18 minute song before the millenium. There's not much wrong with that. "The Decline" is about as masterful as a melodic punk band can really get. There's multiple song-within-a-songs, they work in a trombone at some points (and it doesn't even sound cheesy), and Fat Mike seemed to really take time in preparing what he was going to sing. The lyrics are surperb (for a NOFX song), and are more political than anything else. The liner notes are also very cool, as well as the CD itself (it's partly clear! Wacky!). The only real downside? The back of the CD says "don't pay more than $11." At first I thought that was a joke. $11 for an EP? Please! But $10.99 actually IS the suggested retail price… Punk is so marketable now, it's scary. Anyways, if you're a fan of NOFX, pick this up to complete your collection, but if you're just getting into them, get some of their full lengths (i.e. "Punk in Drublic" or "White Trash…") first.

[taken from A different kind of greatness webzine]