Review: Various Artists – Fat Music Vol. 8: Going Nowhere Fat

Various Artists
Fat Music Vol. 8: Going Nowhere Fat

Fat Wreck Chords

Street: 08.07

Fat Music = The Fat Wreck catalog

As many may know, Fat Wreck Chords turned 25 this year, and things couldn’t be going better. Veteran bands like Lagwagon, $wingin’ Utter$, and Strung Out all put out stellar records in the past year, newcomers like PEARS, Toy Guitar, and Bad Cop/Bad Cop are showing promise, and giants like NOFX and Leftöver Crack are hinting at new material. This compilation showcases some of the latest and greatest from both their old and new bands and their distinct sounds that separate them at the seams. You have ska/punk greats like Mad Caddies and Less Than Jake, and bubble gum pop-punk neophytes Masked Intruder and Bad Cop/Bad Cop. Strung Out and PEARS combine melody and raucousness while Old Man Markley and Darius Koski mix punk with various forms of folk. This comp. parades Fat Wreck at one of its highest peaks with their recent sensations being as commendable as the label’s heavyweights. –Eric U. Norris