Unitron "There's only a very very fine line between biding one's time and wasting one's time"

"I FUCKED! A DEAD DUCK, SHIT OUTTA LUCK"

Holy fuck, now this is what I call punk. Fucking dead ducks, spazing about time wasting, come quick for big dicks, this is the no fucks given attitude that thrives in punk when put to right use. Musically Nomeansno simultaneously gives a fuck and doesn't, they have one of the most insane rhythm sections in heavy music, but they have the attitude as if they don't. That's what separates bands like Nomeansno, Atheist, and Mudvayne from technical pretense. They use what they got, and they just happen to have a lot.

Spastic slap bass, sludgy post-hardcore riffing, tortured screaming, dissonant guitars, fun foot-stomping hooks, anxious melodies, lyrical schizophrenia, and even crazy borderline funk metal. When I first heard this album as my introduction to the band, it completely changed my view of what punk can be. It's the attitude I always wanted in punk, without any pretense or obnoxious preaching. Just a group of punks playing crazy ass music, as it should be.

Unitron In a genre that can be so easy to do like punk, there's a few key things to really make a band stand out. Being really good songwriters is the first step, but combining a rebellious attitude with a unique personality and play-style is how you get a band like NoMeansNo where there's not really anyone else like them. Schizophrenic yet playful, this is absolutely fantastic bass-driven punk where the rhythm section is unmatched.

The title track is just an instant punk anthem dominated by insane bass and drums in full force that is basically NoMeansNo's signature sound, complimented by sex-crazed spitfire and occasional stabbing keyboards. Sometimes they'll go straight into early math rock like with instrumental Obsessed, or apocalyptic with Self Pity. Other than the title track, the moody and wandering Long Days, syncopated heaven of Metronome, and proto-grunge of Revenge are my personal favorites and really display the band's personality perfectly. Hunt the She Beast (Only on the original Canadian release and the later reissue with the You Kill Me EP), has some particularly great drums and dissonant guitar that wouldn't sound out of place on a Primus album.

While Wrong is probably the band at their height, Sex Mad is pretty closely tied with it as my favorite and both albums define the band and show them at their creative and songwriting peak.