The No Fun EP

Chicago's leading neo-grunge two-man hard rock juggernaut is in loud and angry form on this six-song EP, and as anyone familiar with this band's past work knows, Scott Lucas is always at his best when he's got a big ol' grudge against someone (or something). After the relative disappointment of Local H's fourth album, the overworked Here Comes the Zoo, The No Fun EP is (for the most part) a blazing return to form; with the band producing themselves (with some help from engineer Andy Gerber), these tracks connect with maximum impact and minimal fuss. Drummer Brian St. Clair sounds more fully integrated with guitarist/bassist/vocalist/big cheese Scott Lucas than he did on Here Comes the Zoo, and if Lucas' wall of guitars don't have a whole lot of nuance, they kick like Bruce Lee on steroids, and the good news is this band hasn't sounded so gloriously muscular since As Good as Dead. Half of the songs on The No Fun EP are covers, which may not suggest a large backlog of new material, but all three originals are winners, especially the vitriolic George W. Bush parody "President Forever," another jaundiced look at the state of the rock scene in "Cooler Heads," and the bone-crushing title cut. Elsewhere, their take on the Ramones' "I Just Wanna Have Something to Do" actually finds a new angle in the old chestnut, and their assault on the Godfathers' "Birth, School, Work, Death" is nothing short of inspired. Only the closer, the almost-ten-minute "Fuck Yeah, That Wide," disappoints, but at least it's fun for the first few minutes, and five winners out of six is a damn good batting average; if Local H can sound this tight, aggressive, and effective on their next full-length, they could have a masterpiece on their hands. ~ Mark Deming