No Use For A Name

Leche Con Carne (1995)

FashioningKnives

Ok, wow I looked at the reviews today and realized that NUFAN's Leche Con Carne was not reviewed. How could argueably one of their best albums have gone unnoticed? So I guess i'll accept the challenge of putting one of my favorite band's best cds into words.

Leche Con Carne is straight up punk. This cd is before the More Betterness/Hard Rock Bottom days of more pop than punk. This cd starts off with Justified Black Eye, a fan favorite and an overall brilliant song. The emotion that is put into Tony's voice on this opening track never ceases to amaze me. Next up, Couch Boy is sort of a let down after Justified Black Eye, but after a few listens the song really does being to grow on you.

Now for Soulmate. What can I say about one of the best songs Tony has written? Simply put it makes this cd worth its money. Tony's voice and lyrics carry this song into the greatness it has now achieved. Soulmate is always in the live sets and this Cd was the birth of it all.

51 Days tends to bore me, and the singing seems forced this and Wood are definitely two of the low points on the cd. Dare I say these seem like filler…

Redemption Song, the Bob Marley cover is on here as well. I have never heard so much emotion put into a cover as I did here. The passion in Tony's voice, as well as the speed of the song never ceases to amaze me.

Straight From Jacket another popular song carried by Tony's vocals and witty lyrics. I know the lyrics mean something deeper than what is on the surface and the story of a boy being abandoned by his family is delievered to perfection.

Fatal Flu is a song often ignored it seems. It wasnt on the Live In A Dive album and most fans that I talk to dont seem to recognize the brilliance behind this song. Its very catchy and seems to be making a meaningful analysis of society's problems. The best advice I can give is to check this song out.

Finally the closer of all closers, Exit. This is my favorite NUFAN song, take one listen and you'll understand. I cannot begin to express the perfection here and I will not even attempt it. Those of you who have heard this band know that Exit is a song that will affect everyone who listens to it.

No Use proves on this cd why their fan base was so loyal and large even without major exposure. They were just that damn good at making fun catchy punk rock music. Unfortunately, in my mind, things went downhill for NUFAN after this. Finally reaching its low after Hard Rock Bottom, a cd in which the band dismissed all their punk in favor of pop. Not to say it was a bad cd, it just wasnt what Leche Con Carne was to No Use fans like myself.

I can only long for the days when Tony Sly would belt out songs like this…