Where to Start With: NOFX

2013 marks the 30th year of the existence of LA punk icons NOFX. In that time, Fat Mike and co. have released no less than 12 studio albums. So where do you possibly start with one of the most enduring and prolific bands of their genre?


   Essential Listening:

 
Though 'Punk in Drublic' is generally regarded as NOFX's best studio offering, 1997's 'So Long and Thanks For All the Shoes' is the sound of a true punk band in the form of their career. Tracks like 'Monosyllabic Girl', 'Murder the Government' and 'I'm Telling Tim' all clock in at well under ninety seconds each, with much of the album speeding by in a blaze of punk glory.

Other highlights include ska-influenced 'All Outta Angst' and '180 Degrees', a track Fat Mike wrote about his changing opinions of the world around him since starting the band. A strong and musically diverse album from start to finish, this is a great jumping on point for anyone unfamiliar with the band's back catalogue.

   
Also Check Out: 
 
In 1991, NOFX released 'Ribbed', the first album that would see them taken seriously by the American punk scene. 'Green Corn' and 'Shower Days' are amongst the most intentionally under-produced songs that the band have ever recorded, while 'The Moron Brothers' and 'The Malachi Crunch' are still staples of NOFX live sets over two decades later.

The lyrical matter may not always inspire deep and philosophical thought (this is certainly pre-political NOFX), but you'll easily excuse this fact once numerous shards of punk are lodged permanently in your eardrums. 
 
 Newer Material:  

                                                

Though two LPs have followed since, 2006's 'Wolves in Wolves' Clothing' is perhaps the last great NOFX album.

'Seeing Double at the Triple Rock' is vintage NOFX, while 'USA-Holes' and 'Leaving Jesusland' are biting critiques of American society. Perhaps later records were hit and miss, but 'WIWC' maintains its quality throughout the course of thirty four minutes of music.

It is certainly a testament to the band that while the sound has changed slightly since 1988 debut album 'Liberal Animation', the true punk spirit is still very much present here.



The Essential NOFX Playlist: 

Dinosaurs Will Die, Bob, The Separation of Church and Skate, You're Wrong, Idiots are Taking Over, Linoleum, Mattersville, Leave it Alone.