(Fat Wreck Chords/Shock)

No Use For A Name frontman looks to the front porch for these non-punk strumalongs

A pop-punk guy gone acoustic on an album called 12 Song Program – I must admit I was suspicious upon first hearing about this record, fearing some drearily narcissistic emo ramblings about how the author ended up in rehab after being unjustly given lots of free money and drugs. While Tony Sly’s battle with the bottle is addressed, 12 Song Program manages to avoid the whiny self-obsession it could have fallen subject to. Sly’s love of The Beatles (think You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away or Norwegian Wood) is evident here, the songs given a lightness of touch thanks in part to the singer’s nostalgic fondness for music past. In an unplugged format, the record even reminds you of the singer-songwriter aspects at the heart of much pop-punk – strip NUFAN, Blink or even NOFX songs to their bare essentials, and you’re pretty much left with warmly familiar chord progressions and two-part harmonies. From the intimate closer Fireball to the rousing clapalong vibe of Toaster In The Bathtub, 12 Song Program is a great deal more painless than one might expect.

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MATT THROWER

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