Nomeansno — Generic Shame

Since I discovered them, thanks to John Chedsey of SSMT, Nomeansno has grown to become one of my favourite band. After having listened to a variety of songs coming from their whole two decades career, it soon became clear to me that there was definitely something special about this band and that I needed to track down their albums.

I suppose that the best way to describe them would be something along the lines of "a witty punk-rock band with a musically gifted rhythm section and a tendency to write epic mid-tempo narrative numbers". Their back catalog is full of tasty surprises and it's worth checking out if only for the fact that if you happen to like them, you'll have *a lot* to like since they are a very consistent band.

Their recent material (the last two albums are "Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie" & "One") focus more on their epic side and only a few of the more punky songs can be heard. This new EP is only half an exception to that rule and was taken from the "One" recording sessions. Of the three songs it contains, one is a semi-epic, the other is an epic and the last one is a playful and energetic piece.

The first one, "Sex is Philosophy", is one of the band's most metal sounding song, along with "The Tower", and it is musically centered around a very simple yet meaty riff. It certainly wouldn't sound out of place on "One" and it contains a very catchy chorus that even rivals "The Phone Call" from that album. The lyrics are half observational and half narrative about the nature of sex and pornography and they describe what goes on in the mind of a deranged individual before and during the act of raping someone... I also must mention that Rob's vocal performance is great, he really seems to get into character and the way he sings with conviction makes it a joy to listen to the lyrics again and again.

The second song, "No Big Surprise", is a 11 minutes epic that mostly stays in mid-tempo country even though it has quite a few twists - like for example a very cool drum solo that showcases John Wright's incredible drumming and his knack for playing the right (wright?) thing at the right time, knowing when to hold back and when to cut loose. There is also a short dissonant guitar solo that reminds of their earlier years with ex-guitarist Andy Kerr. The lyrical content of the song is built around a "real-man" kind of theme and each verse ends with "But that was no big surprise".

The closing number, "I get up in the Morning", is really a truckload of fun and it was done with tongue firmly planted in cheek; it's a silly ska song that works surprisingly well! Fun for the whole family! You can almost imagine the big grin on Rob's face as he sings...

Nomeansno scores again and proves us that, unlike that cheese that I forgot in the sun, they do get better with age. I would recommend to the people who are curious about the band to start with a) "Wrong" or "Worldhood of the World (as such)" for their more punky material or b) "Why do they call me Mr. Happy" or "One" for their more epic stuff. After you've decided if/that you love them, Generic Shame EP will of course become mandatory...