No Use For A Name
More Betterness!

By Rob Selina
Click here to e-mail reviewer

  Okay, let’s get the ugly part of the article out of the way. The dudes changed on us. If you’re a fan of Leche Con Carne, Making Friends, The Daily Grind, or any of the other nine No Use albums, you’re not guaranteed to like More Betterness! The hardcore rifts and the angry lyrics sung in that stressed, almost fearful sounding voice that only Tony Sly could pull off have been replaced by more mellow punk-pop beats and much more calm lyrics sung in a much more melodic manner.

At first, I was a bit disappointed. The album lacked the qualities I was originally craving. Never the less, I found it getting popped in to the CD player on a regular basis. I quickly figured out that although the band had changed, it wasn’t necessarily a wrong turn. The album is very catchy and fun while still having some pretty heavy songs with some meat to them.

At first, the album bared no resemblance to anything else the band had produced, but I soon started to see otherwise. Tony’s old vocal style creeps in here and there on some of the beefier songs and the lead guitar rifts bear resemblance to Leche Con Carne’s signature sound. The only difference is that they are borrowing more from other sources now. The change in pace is actually quite refreshing and the album is excellent as pop-punk albums go. There aren’t any duff songs and the album manages to change mood quickly to keep it interesting. Not what I was expecting, but still a great album. When you also take in to account that the album sells at the bargain price of $10 for the CD and a mere $8 for the LP when you buy directly from Fat you can probably afford to take a chance on this one. If you ask me though, you can’t go wrong buying this.

Enjoyment: 85

Sound Quality: 75