by Curtis Zimmermann

Longtime fans of independent punk giants NOFX will be happy that for Pump Up the Valuum the band changed absolutely nothing about their sound. All the songs follow the group's now standard three-chord punk style with witty songs that rip on the world around them. The most notable tracks are those that take aim at the music business. "Dinosaurs Will Die" is about the impending change in the music industry with the MP3 explosion. "Stanger Than Fishin'" (an obvious knock on former label mates Bad Religion's song "Stranger Than Fiction") goes after industry phonies. The album also contains some of the band's signature gross-out tunes "Lousie" and "My Vaginia." While not as good as Punk in Drublic or The Longest Line, it should satisfy most punk fans' cravings.