All Killer No Filler
All
Songs written and
Performed by
Sum 41
Produced by
Jerry Finn
Mixed by
Tom Lord-Alge
Guest Artist:
Greg Noiri of
Treble Charger
track list:
1.
Introduction to Destruction
2.
Nothing On My Back
3.
Never Wake Up
4.
Fat Lip
5.
Rhythms
6.
Motivation
7.
In Too Deep
8.
Summer
9.
Handle This
10.
Crazy Amanda Bunkface
11.
All She's Got
12.
Heart Attack
13.
Pain For Pleasure
CanCon: Coming from a bunch of crazy
Canadian kids, the album gets a MAL on the
MAPL Canadian content scale. That is to say, the
music and
lyrics were written and performed by Canadians.
Overall
Impressions:
Less
Pop than
Blink 182 and less
Rock than
the Offspring, Sum 41's
sound on All Killer No Filler is difficult for me to
define clearly. While there is a fair bit of
Punk in their music, most
purists would
lynch me for calling this a Punk
album. The band describes themselves as a Punk-
influenced Rock Band, which fits better than anything else I can think of, but there's a fair bit of
70's Metal flavour in places as well.
Standout Tracks:
1.
Introduction to Destruction -
"The Dark Armies then will come, when the sum is 41" Right off the bat, the boys in Sum 41 want to establish that they don't take themselves
seriously. They're having
fun, and doing what they
love. This track is a nod to the "
Satanic"
Metal bands of
yesteryear, with its
dark,
evil sounding
narrator, and wind howling in the
background.
2.
Fat Lip -
"I know I'm not the one you thought you knew back in high school, never going, never showing up when we had to" The first
single off the album, this is one of the best
bad attitude songs I've heard in a while. Shifting from near-
rap to a softly (in comparison) sung
refusal to be relied on, Fat Lip is a
declaration that the
singer is not the person everyone wants him to be, and that he never will be.
7.
In Too Deep -
"Maybe we're just trying too hard, when really it's closer than it is too far" If Fat Lip is the
hardest song on the album, then this is the
lightest. An incredibly
catchy second single, this is a song about trying to keep a
clear head in a
relationship, before you
get carried away.
10.
Crazy Amanda Bunkface -
"I don't wanna try to just be friends, nothing's gonna change my mind again" First off, how can you not
love a song called "
Crazy Amanda Bunkface", unless of course you're the Amanda in the
title. Then it would be very easy to not love this song, as it is a
breakup song, plain and simple. The singer has come to realize that his
significant other is a
mentally unstable control freak, and he's
had enough. He wants a
clean break, and leave
no doubt in her mind that her attempts to change him were
unsuccessful and
unappreciated.
13.
Pain For Pleasure -
"Pain for pleasure, he's the hunter you're the game; pain for pleasure, Satan is his name!" They opened the album with a
sly nod to the Metal albums they love, and they close it in the same way. Heavily
metaphorical lyrics,
wailing guitars, a screaming
lead singer, and a "Satan" or two thrown in for good measure.
The
Videos:
The videos for
Fat Lip and
In Too Deep were shot as part of a
trilogy of sorts, along with
Makes No Difference off the album
Half Hour of Power. All three were shot in and around the band's
home town of
Ajax,
Ontario, and feature the band surrounded by
friends,
family,
schoolmates, and other
locals. Beginning with an
impromptu rap for the
owner of a
convenience store,
Fat Lip is a
showcase of the...
unconventional youth of Ajax.
Punks,
Goths,
Skaters, one all around
freaky looking guy, a
visit from the
police, and a
boy band dance parody make up this video, shot in a
parking lot and a
skateboard park. At the end of this video is a video for Pain for Pleasure, with the band dressed in tight animal patterned clothes and
big hair, with the lead singer in
black leather and a motorcycle hat.
In Too Deep takes place at a
pool, and the premise is a
diving contest between the boys in the band and a team of red
speedo wearing
jocks. The band wins of course, much to the delight of the
fans in the
stands. Between the
guitarist rising from the water to perform his
solo, and the
drummer bouncing off two extra diving boards on the way down, this video is light and fun, much like the song.
Enhanced CD features:
All Killer No Filler is an enhanced CD, and one of the better ones I've seen. The fact that it didn't require me to
install anything was a definite plus. A fairly simple
interface gives the user access to the videos for
Fat Lip and
Pain For Pleasure, complete with the rap at the beginning of Fat Lip. Also included is a bunch of
extra footage from the filming of Fat Lip that didn't
make the cut, including an
extended version of the opening rap, and the band members attempts to
show off their
solo dancing moves.
Where you can
hear it:
If you want to hear some of their stuff before you
buy the
CD, and don't consider
downloading the songs an option, there are a few other places that the band's songs keep popping up. Aside from the obvious rock
radio stations and
music video channels, the band's music has also been featured more than once on the
sitcom Malcolm in The Middle. I have heard both
In Too Deep and
Motivation on the show this
season, but there may have been others. The movie
Van Wilder, from
National Lampoon also lists Sum 41 in the
trailers, but as I have not seen the film, I can't say how prominantly the music is featured.