With Ryan Greene as a producer, you know what you’re getting; slick, fast production. Greene’s knob-twiddling makes ‘More Betterness’ do exactly what it says on the tin, and it is as good, if not better, than anything the No Use boys have done before.
But the thing is, I’ve never been much of a fan of No Use For A Name, and this album, although souped up by the aforementioned Greene, is nothing that hasn’t been seen and heard a million times before. Tony Sly‘s vocals sound a little too polished, and there isn’t enough variety within the songs to make them interesting.
‘More Betterness’ is better than a lot of shite that gets thrown the way of the punter, but there is nothing contained on this CD that jumps out and grabs you by the bollocks. Instead it meanders through the fourteen tracks, occasionally hitting the spot.
A cover of the Pogues/Kirsty McColl hit, ‘Fairytale of New York,’ featuring the vocals of Cinder Block, is a highlight, but overall they are few and far between. ‘Not Your Savior,’ ‘Six Degrees From Misty’ and ‘Chasing Rainbows’ are solid enough, but the whole album lacks a spark. It’s too polished and clean, something which is all too common in punk rock these days.
Maybe the departure of guitarist Chris Shifflet, who jumped shipped to join the Foo Fighters, has something to do with it. Maybe NUFAN should dump the Pro-Tools and get back to basics, otherwise they are going to be left behind as the also-rans of punk.
Paul Savage.