Keep Them Confused
This is the album that's going to make long-time fans scratch their chins: Is this the same group that made the angst-riddled, amplifier-blowingLeche Con Carne? Do the bittersweet lyrics of songs like "For Fiona" mean they're going emo? Are all the potential singles here going to make them bigger thanGreen Day? All legitimate concerns surrounding a band that has operated on the frontlines of the American punk scene since 1987. But, ultimately, there little to actually worry about. No Use For A Name hasn't lost touch with its primal side--"Bullets" and "Killing Time" are prime examples of its hardcore instinct at work--but maturity is clearly creeping in, with singer Tony Sly's voice inching towardsChris Martinterritory and a handful of quality mid-tempo rock songs dominating an album that, despite the inevitable continental drift, sounds remarkably lucid from beginning to end.--Aidin Vaziri