NOFX

Though NOFX's formula hasn't changed much since 1989, many consider this 1994 album to be their best. Most of the seventeen songs clock in at under three minutes; they show NOFX in fine form, with plenty of wit and charm wrapped around blistering, catchy chords. "Linoleum" and "The Brews" stand out as two of the better tracks.

In which these pranksters proceed to prove absolutely that a sense of humor provides useful training in broader human feelings. Among those they don't put down are a porn actress, a happy born-againer, a guy in Birkenstocks and a tie-dyed Rancid T-shirt, Hasidic O.G.'s, and--implicitly--people who like tunes with their rant and rave. They're a six-figure advance away from that exalted state where *ssh*l*s everywhere can call them shallow and suburban. (Grade - A-)