Punk-O-Rama 7

Various Artists

Epitaph Records, 2002

REVIEW BY: Emily Kinsella

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/09/2003

I don't claim to know jack about real punk. I'm sometimes mortified to even discuss my favorite musical acts and the genres they fall under, from fear that I will mistakenly refer to one artist as punk, and some true punk enthusiast will jump on my ass and give me a lecture about why that is not punk. So I try to refrain from discussing my exact genres of choice. Upon my first listen of Punk-O-Rama 7, I could not determine whether this happened to fall under the category of punk, but I did however, experience an epiphany. Who cares what kind of music it is? What if I had cared and not bought this CD because upon my purchase, my brother informed me that NOFX was in no way punk? If I had been stupid and judgmental, I would not have had the opportunity to experience one of my favorite compilation CDs ever.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

There are 19 songs on Punk-O-Rama 7, and all of them are completely diverse and highly fantastic in their own wonderful ways. All have extremely fast-paced, manic-sounding melodies and catchy lyrics. It was extremely hard to find a few stand-out songs, as each and every one holds a supremely special place in my heart. So. I'll pick a few and tell you why it was love at first sound. Number seven, Randy's "Addicts Of Communication" is an "addictive" blend of *whatever* and ska (not categorizing, just describing) that may be intertwined with witchcraft. It's that good. Number eight, "Hooray For Me" by Pulley, should go down in the record books as the most candid view on the music industry today. But hey, like the song says, "when it's all been said and done/ I know that I had fun/ take it to the grave with me/ this music still lives on."

On second thought, I can think of a few choices on this album that I happen to find myself humming more than the others. Number 11, Bad Religion's "The Defense" is a darker side to the CD, with a sinister melody and trippy computer-robot noises in the background, not to mention a kick-freakin-ass guitar solo around the tres and-a-half mark. Dropkick Murphys' "Heroes From Our Past," number 13, is an experience at the very least. Written like an old Scottish fable, it boasts real Scottish bagpipes in the back and a chorus that sounds like they gathered all of their drunken Irish friends and paid them to sing. After number 14, interest almost wanes, but is revived with one final hilarious hurrah from Guttermouth and their spirited "My Girlfriend." "She would rather take a dive/ off a stage a mile high/ than see a movie/ My girlfriend makes me really sick/ makes me really sick/ when she's dancin in the pit."

Final verdict: I wish you could hear this right now. This should be renamed Sick Ass Tunes-O-Rama because I don't care if it's punk, folk or contemporary jazz, Punk-O-Rama 7 is the new cure-all.

Rating: A

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© 2003 Emily Kinsella and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Epitaph Records, and is used for informational purposes only.