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Pump Up the Valuum

by NOFX

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There are two sides to the punk coin. On one side, serious and somewhat political acts such as Fugazi are in it for the pulpit. NOFX is firmly stamped on the other side, where it's less soapbox than a threat of getting their mouths washed out with soap. Not since the heyday of the Dead Milkmen has there been a more insincere and politically incorrect punk-rock outfit, and the world is a more entertaining place for it. Pump Up the Valium's lyrics are first-class juvenilia. The backwards fantasy "What's the Matter with Parents Today?" poses a Twilight Zone-like fantasy in which front man fat Mike laments how "Dad's dressing like Motley Crue" and "Mom's hair's dyed bright blue." There are also tracks such as "My Vagina" and "Herojuana," which are pretty self-explanatory. Some might find such nonstop irreverence tedious if the band weren't so tight while being impolite. --Jason Josephes