Nicotine

Item: School of Liberty
Author: Josh Blackway

School of Liberty

(2002)

Reviewed by Josh Blackway

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Label Asian Man RecordsDecapolisAugust 2003

pop punk punk skate punk

"Nicotine" is a very fitting name for this band hailing from Chiba, Japan. It's also fitting that they're on Asian Man Records, which is actually based out of California. This new album, entitled "School of Liberty", came out in early July. Don't be fooled by the 17 tracks listed, there are actually 13 of their own new songs, 3 tracks of somewhat funny dialog, and one cover.

The cover track? Well, first let me say that I think there's an unwritten rule in punk rock that if you cover another band's song, you should wait at least 10 years after the song came out, especially if you're recording the cover song...so anyway, if that is the rule, they're ok because the song they cover is Green Day's "Basket Case". They do a decent version of it too. It's different...sort of an extremely fast, new school version. With an altered intro, and more melodic leads.

Anyway, Nicotine...they've been around since 1993. I think this album came out in Japan much earlier than it was released in the US, because it already sold over 60,000 copies in Japan! (Just like the Huntingtons do in America!...lots of laughter). Some call these guys the Japanese NOFX. I think of them as the next Hi-Standard, another very fast punk band from Japan that seemed to disappear in the past couple years.

Honestly, I'm not really into "new school punk rock", but there's something about the Japanese bands, they're so, I don't know...Japanese? It's really funny for me listening to this band, and Hi-Standard as well, because they're singing in English and you can tell it's not their first language. Maybe it's just me, but I love listening to non-American bands, that sing in English.

The songs on this cd are nothing new. Some sing-alongs, lots of solos, and that fast double kick drum, which is insanely fast on some songs, like track #12 "Beat Motion". I think they must've sped it up after recording, the drum beat doesn't even sound humanly possible.

So check out this band if you want to hear some Japanese kids doin' what the So-Cal bands do best. There's some good songs, some tracks that you'll probably skip, and some funny moments in a Japanese classroom. "Get the Liberty!"

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