Customer Reviews
2006-09-04
one of the sharpest trios you'll ever hear...
NoMeansNo is probably the tightest, bass-driven band since Fishbone, and this album continues to prove how NoMeansNo is simply uncategorizable. Is this punk? Well, a trio version of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" might make you think twice about calling them that. I've even heard some people try to label this as "jazzcore," but quite simply put, NoMeansNo is a trio of tightly wound musicians who are often quite dark and ominous, but play music that is intriguing on many different levels.
Though I think _One_ is not quite the masterpiece that _Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie_ was, there are a lot of strong songs on this particular output. I mentioned earlier their version of "Bitches Brew," but even more stunning is their version of The Ramones' "Beat on the Brat," which I can't help but think U2 stole from when they did the same song (in a similar way) on a Ramones tribute disc--the NoMeansNo version is methodical and dark, turning what was a funny punk classic into something even more foreboding.
But don't think that the real gems of this disc are NoMeansNo doing other people's music. No--"Our Town" and "The Phone Call" are amazing songs, possibly because they delve directly into a very gothic psychology, where things are somewhat familiar (in "Our Town," Friday is payroll day, and "The Phone Call" centers itself on those classic late-night calls to old flames while full of regret [and often bourbon]), but there are also items that are just plain scary (in "Our Town," martyrs are hanging from the gallows, and "The Phone Call" takes an ugly turn).
You're not going to headbang to this, or pogo about your room. NoMeansNo is out to scare you, and this disc does a great job at it.
2006-03-23
Gah! The Cads!...
Great record--I keep seeing Alternative Tentacles products priced waaaay too high on Amazon. It's just a CD y'all-and it isn't out of stock at the label. Go get it at the record label for $12.
2004-04-28
A stellar return to form for the Wright Brothers!...
After a bit of a sideways drift in the mid-nineties, NMN return to their roots with "One". Somber, intelligent, and bass-driven, "One" harkens back to the days of "Sex Mad" and "Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed". Rob Wright's lyrics are as impressive as his bass playing, John Wright's drumming is phenomenal, and Tom Holliston has made a name for himself as guitarist, while retaining the best of Andy Kerr's enormous influence.
Albums like "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?", "The Worldhood Of The World (As Such)", and "Dance Of The Headless Bourgoise" are all solid albums with great songs, but lack the inherent vibe and cohesiveness of earlier albums. In addition, I've never been a fan of the more silly material, as in "Cats, Sex, and Nazis" and "I'm An $&*hole". NMN is at their best when they're serious, and "One" is a serious album, with the exception of their cover of "Beat On The Brat". My opinion: leave the punkier, wacky stuff for the Hanson Brothers side-project.
I've seen NMN live at least 7 or 8 times, and they are a sight to behold. Often given a hard time for being "too old", NMN nonetheless deliver the goods. If you have the chance, see them! It is my hope that they will continue to be the most relevant, intelligent, and talented independent band in existence for many years to come.
2002-11-20
Another Great NoMeansNo Album !!...
What can ya say except that these guys are the hands-down best! "Graveyard Shift" is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It takes things from inside us that are so personal and expresses them in a way that is so accurate to almost everyone of us. NoMeansNo has always had a great gift of expressing intimate things in a way that shows us how these things that actually make us feel different are what connect us to others. When you mix this kind of lyrical gift with the talent of the band as musicians and you get some of the greatest music ever recorded. "Our Town" is another personal favorite of mine. It's the "Headless Dance" of this one, good and dark. All of the other songs are great too. Their music is the most reliable of any band I've ever heard.
2001-04-17
What more can be said?...
Strangley, with most of the songs clocking in around the eight minute mark, this might be NoMeansNo's most accessable album. Tied with Worldhood, anyway. But - It rocks!
It is hard to even put into words. Drums. Lets talk drums. The end of The Graveyard Shift, this little part in Hello Goodbye, the incredible breakdown in The Phone Call. Drumming at its very best.
Of course, the bass and guitar are off the scale as well.
Then we get down to the songs... Our Town is a poem. An actual, brilliant, epic poem set to music. It is chilling, not only for it's subject matter, but for the methodical, near perfect execution that the boys pull Our Town off with.
A Little Too High is another gem. One of the most accurate portrayls of overindulgence I have ever heard. Sample lyric, "Don't you prefer a bitter taste, to a bitter sigh? I do. But I'm a little too high." The Graveyard Shift is a biting, cruel song about life after a break up. Rob, the chief lyricist and resident genius behind NMN comes through once again. Taking the loneliness we all know and hate so well, and makes something beautiful out of it.
Plus, they cover a Miles Davis tune back to back with a Ramones song. Come on! You need this.
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