Strung Out
An American Paradox
Fat
Having been around for quite some time now, operating on a small scale, Strung Out seem to be heading for better days with this release, receiving more attention from both radio and the record-buying public in general. And they sure deserve it. Not that this is ground-breaking in any way, but it’s more than competent California-punk, blending the skate of NOFX and No Use For a Name with punky emo acts like complex newcomers Desaparecidos, and played with impressive tightness and ferocity. The sound is upbeat and feel-good, and most of the time Strung Out avoid the light-on-your-ears, sing-along choruses that may kill punk some day, simply because it’s getting increasingly harder to write lyrics that mean anything when all you’ve got are three words, two of which are “woo hoo.” Kudos to Strung Out for going beyond the ever-narrower borders that define contemporary punk all the while retaining punk’s all-important presence and direct expression.
Fat Wreck Chords: http://www.fatwreck.com
