No Fun At All – Master Celebrations

No Fun At All, a Swedish band, has combined all their top hits into this one hour long, 24 track album called Master Celebrations. Listening to this CD really makes you wish so much that they did not break up in January. Throughout these 24 tracks, you can easily perceive the development of this band throughout its 8 year career. The sound is hard hitting at times, while smooth at others. One thing for sure is that their lyrical content is always absolutely spectacular. One more thing I must mention before I go on, is how much this band reminds me of Bad Religion and their development as a band as well. If you are a fan of BR, then you will love NFAA.

Opening the CD is Master Celebrator, from the 1996 album, Out Of Bounds. The song is a really good one. Changing the beat throughout the album from a fast paced song with a even faster drumbeat behind it to a slightly slower chorus. It’s about looking back in time and learning from past mistakes. It is a really good song, and a perfect one to open the album with. Secondly is a track from their 1997 release, Big Knockover, it is Suicide Machine. It starts off with a much faster drum and guitar combination, and it keeps that up for the whole song. The vocals are strong and powerful, perfectly smooth over the rhythm in the background.

Another really good song is track 6th, Wow And I Say Wow, a track from their 1995 release, No Straight Angles. This song reminds me slightly off the Stranger Then Fiction and a bit of the Suffer albums by Bad Religion. It is a fast paced punk rock song with a steady chorus. The song is all about wanting to get money to gain experience in being rich. Great beat plus funny vocals equal one amazing song. The next track, Celestial Q&A reminds me of the more recent Bad Religion material. With vocals that are more eminent with a catchy rhythm playing as well. Although, there is not many lyrics, the ones that are there are important and catchy. It a song about someone being able to read the stars, and wanting to help someone but first needs their trust. It is a spectacular song and my second favorite.

Tracks 9 and 11, Stranded and Should Have Known are two other good songs on the album. The first of the two is all about wanting to leave and get away. The vocals are once again catchy, with a sound that is similar to the Stranger Then Fiction era of BR once again. The latter of the two is a faster paced song with steady vocals once again.

Skipping waaaaaay ahead now to my favorite song, track 21, Second Best. It starts off with a soft mellow bass rhythm, the drums enter with a couple slaps on the cymbals as the guitars join in as well. The vocals are steady and mellow, constant with the music style. It really reminds me of the recent Bad Religion release, The Process of Belief. The chorus is simple amazing. So powerful, so hard, so spectacular. That chorus, just makes the song complete and the best track on this CD.

Other songs of honorable mention would be My Extraordinary Mind, Talking To Remind Me, Beat Em Down and Believers. Overall, this is a perfect CD to end of the career of No Fun At All. I love this CD and am deeply saddened that the band has called it quits after 8 years. I recommend that everyone gets this album at a store near you.