This record is honestly kind of painful. It’s meant to be, too. It’s about depression, drug abuse, death and all kinds of dark material. And it works on that level, but it’s also painful because the NOFX sound puts Fat Mike’s vocals so front-and-center in everything: It’s like watching somebody standing under a spotlight while hitting rock bottom. The lyrics on this record are overtly personal and first-person.
I have no idea if this is by design, or if it’s based on the timing of when he wrote he songs, but it’s also infuriating to listen to somebody so personally expel their feelings and flaws in one song, only to contradict the lesson and fall into old patterns in the next track. So, to sum it up, Single Album is the story of Fat Mike’s rehab. As he says in “Birmingham,” “When I’m with NOFX or having fun in sex/ I seem to function/ When I’m alone it’s self-destruction. And, case in point, many of the rhymes on this record are…beyond the pale.
Originally planned as a double album and then trimmed down, Single Album follows recent records, starting with the up-close-and-personal Cokie The Clown, then the self-discovery of Self-Entitled to the seeming rock bottom here. The songs fit NOFX’s skatepunk melodic hardcore catalog, but there’s a weary, dark sadness that oozes out of the speakers in contrast to the upbeat frivolity of their greatest hits. While songs like “Fuck Euphanism” and “Linewleum” fit the classic bill, opener “The Big Drag” really sets the tone with a six-minute plunge into the meaning of life, concluding “I’m going to dance and fight and fuck with every moment.” It’s great to be open about things, but the lyrics over the next nine songs delve really personal on each of those subjects and, honestly, I just don’t want to hear that much about anybody’s sex life -- especially on a punk record. At one point he compares himself to GG Allin. The lyrics are really inward and, to be blunt, the best songs take a step back and look outward instead.
Take “Linewleum,’ which is a “decomposition” of their most famous song. They steal the hook and sing about how nihilistic they are for wrecking a popular song. Okay, great. That’s standard NOFX playbook there. For me, this is too self-indulgent by the end. When they mix it up, it works to great effect. “Fish in a Gun Barrel” uses a reggae beat that surprisingly fits the dark tones perfectly. “Doors and Fours” is the true standout for me with a unique structure that slowly builds up into something that’s half-ballad and half-melodic hardcore with some subtle post-rock and spaghetti western-esque sounds. “Birmingham” also mixes in some nicely dramatic sounds to fit the tone, providing more texture than you get on much of the album.
Diehard NOFX fans should absolutely listen (and probably did 6 months ago) and those interested in personal songwriting, psychology and addiction topics can gain a lot more than I did. The man has suffered enough, and I don’t want to publish a super negative review of somebody opening their heart to the world. But, for me, Single Album just isn’t my jam by a long shot. Listen and interpret for yourself.
