Master Celebrations,
No Fun At AllUntil their recent split, No Fun At All were one of the biggest punk bands in Europe. Hailing from Sweden, their melodic punk anthems saw them earn a legion of fans during their decade on the scene. ‘Master Celebrations’ is a twenty four-song compilation album, that essentially is the bands best of release. The track listing was chosen with the help of fans over the internet, and draws from all of No Fun At All’s releases.
‘Master Celebrations’ is an entertaining musical journey through the career of No Fun At All. There are tracks from the very first ep ‘Vision’, right through to tracks from the final album ‘State of Flow’, which was released in 2000. You really can see the change in styles from the raw punk edge of ‘I Won’t Believe In You’, to the more mature leanings of tracks like ‘Second Best’. You also get a sense of the change that vocalist Ingemar Jansson brought about when he joined the band, prior to the breakthrough release ‘No Straight Angles’. It is immediately apparent how well his lyrics complement Danielsson’s music.
As a best of ‘Master Celebrations’ serves its purpose very well. It is full of all the classic No Fun At All tracks that you would expect to see on this compilation. Memories of the talent of this band are evoked throughout the album, in particular on songs like ‘Master Celebrator’, ‘Wow And I Say Wow’, ‘My Extraordinary Mind’ and ‘Talking To Remind Me’. As is the norm on albums like this, we are also treated to two new tracks, and it is these that will most interest long-term fans. ‘Aftermath’ is a fast paced, melodic track that echoes the spirit of earlier material whereas ‘Lovely Ordeal’ is more in tune with later work. However, as always with this band, strong melody is the key to the song. The album is rounded off in fine style with a new recorded version of Gang Green’s ‘Alcohol’
‘Master Celebrations’ proves to be a fitting tribute to a band that are sorely missed on the punk rock scene. The increasingly popular decision to get fans to pick the ‘best of’ songs leads to a very strong track listing, one that reflects all the high points of the bands career. This album comes recommended, even if you already own most of the songs, and especially if you don’t. If this is the last we ever see of No Fun At All, then they have bowed out in style.
Mark
