Customer Reviews

The No Fun

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although comprised of just six songs, The No Fun E.P. proves to be an excellent all-around album for Local H's many loyal fans. A number of these tracks could've easily come from Ham Fisted, Local H's grunge-felt 1995 debut. And on the other hand, the lyrics on all the tracks are right up there with the best of this two-member group. The song "Birth, School, Work, Death" (a cover of The Godfathers original) has been floating around in downloadable formats and was featured on a 7" with The Black Theory. Clearly, the recording of it here is by far the best one yet. Understandably, it's very hard to say that this CD is better than any of their previous four, because it's only 28 minutes of music. But all these songs are excellent and many rank amongst the best of Local H. Here's an overview of each song:

1. No Fun - 5/5 - I had heard this song back in December when I saw Local H live; and therefore I greatly anticipated the release of The No Fun E.P. I don't know why they didn't entitle it "No Fxckin' Fun", because that seems to be the basis of the song. It's a very emotional song that holds some of the album's best lyrics. Oddly enough, it's (probably) only third best. Still great though.

2. President Forever - 5/5 - this just might be my favorite song on the album. The title leads you to believe it's a political song; and it's exactly that. Scott Lucas' lyrics let us know what he'd do if he was the President... forever. The lyrics are just so amazing that they seemingly take Local H's lyrical talents to a higher level. The excerpts about the First Lady and Iraq are awe-inspiring, in a manner of speaking.

3. Birth, School, Work, Death - 5/5 - although a cover song, the lyrics fit in perfectly with this CD's objective. As I said, the sound quality is much, much better than previous internet files. If you have heard this one before you won't be let down with it here. This is my fourth favorite; but that ranking doesn't quite reflect how marvelous it truly is.

4. Cooler Heads - 5/5 - this track uses the idea of being cool and rebellious and creates a brilliant song with that. The line 'you were so in / with the out crowd / and the cooler heads' is sung so flawlessly that you can't help but sing along over and over again. I have a hard time choosing between this one and "President Forever" (when picking a favorite). Whatever the case, it's one of Local H's best songs to date.

5. I Just Want Something To Do - 4.5/5 - this is a cover of the infamous Ramones song. It's done almost immaculately, but just doesn't quite compare to the previous four tracks (it outdoes the original however). It's still a great song; don't let my 4.5-out-of-five rank fool you. I guess if I liked The Ramones I might appreciate it a bit more.

6. Fxck Yeah, That Wide - 5/5 - many die-hard H fans might consider this Primal Scream [partial] cover to be too uncharacteristic of the H to enjoy. I love it! The almost techno-feel it gives off is virtuoso, while still maintaining their classic rock sound. The lyrics are very simple ('you got the money / we got the soul'; with a few f-words and gxddamns thrown in now and then), but that doesn't matter. This nine-minute, 47-second closer is a perfect end to the CD.

Again, it's very hard to compare The No Fun E.P. with either Ham Fisted, As Good As Dead, Pack Up The Cats, or Here Comes The Zoo. Still, don't let that dissuade you. If you love Local H you will absolutely love this CD. With sounds alike Ham Fisted and lyrics on the same level as anything they've ever done, Local H manages to produce a perfect album. It may not give you the same experience that Here Comes The Zoo did, but it won't disappoint you either. Gems like "Cooler Heads" and "President Forever" are some of the best Local H songs available. And the three covers only add to the excellence of this recording. And let's not forget the title track. When listening to The No Fun E.P., you'll have lots of fxckin' fun. Don't overlook this and buy it.

I have to dock this disc one star for featuring only 6 songs. However, these are 6 great rock songs. Scott sounds a little angry on this one which works well for a CD called "No Fun." However, his emotions only make the songs rock even harder. Great buy.

This is a good ep, I just wish (like most other people) that it would have been a full LP. Oh well, it's not bad anyway. As others have stated, Scott definitely sounds more angry on this disc, especially on No Fun. It's a typical hard driving Local H song that is good to shout along with if you're not in the happiest of places. President forever has some entertaining lyrics (Gonna throw a party at Camp David...the First Lady's not invited, or, I'm President forever, if we can just agree on this one thing, you'll never have to vote again). It's a decent song, but not especially memorable.

I enjoy "Birth, School, Work, Death" quite a bit. The mini-guitar solo used during the chorus is catchy, and the crowd shouting sound in the chorus is used to good effect. "Cooler Heads" is another typical Local H just rocking out song. The Ramones cover of "I just..." is merely average. This may be due to the fact that I'm not really a big Ramones fan, so this song really isn't memorable to me.

"Fu&% Yeah, That Wide" is an entertaining song for a while, solely because of Scott just going nuts, but eventually it gets old. During a concert though, it's highly entertaining.

The only other disappointing this about this album is that the power of St. Clair's drumming just does not come through on this album. It didn't come through on "Here Comes the Zoo" either, and that's a shame. I've seen them play twice with St. Clair, and he is an animal on the drums. I can't believe they can take that kind of punishment, and that is what adds to Local H's appeal. They have a huge amount of power, but unfortunately the recording makes the drumming seem rather mute.

However, this is a good stop over point on the way to Local H's next full album, but it's probably not for casual fans.

There are only a few true rock bands still alive, and the only one Chicago can call their own is Local H. This band never gets old for me and every time I've seen them live they've rocked every person there. This EP is yet another great disc in thier catalouge. Its a shame that they (and others like them) have been through two record labels now cause most of you people would rather listen to nu-metal. Buy all thier records before they're all out of print, you will not regret it.

When I first heard this, I was disappointed. After a few listens, my opinion of the new Local H songs improved, but not my opinion of their covers. The new Local H songs might be Local H-by-the-numbers, but are catchy enough to warrant a listen. The covers are not very catchy or good. Local H's performance just accentuates the covers' hooks (since Local H is all about the hooks), which are quite dated and therefore not catchy. Oh well. The new Local H songs are worth listening to, but most likely not for the price you'd pay for this new.

I just saw the boys at Summerfest. They are really awesome! Scott Lucas & the band puts on a GREAT show!!I also got to meet them & the boys are really nice! They are really down to earth. They even sell their own merch. which is really cool. The songs No Fun & Cooler Head are popular on the radios right now so tune them in! They also cover the Ramone's song "I Just wanna have something to do" so check them out. I PROMISE you wont be disappointed!!!

Worth it for one song- President Forever. Easily the best Bush parody song yet, less heavy handed than Pearl Jam's 'Bu$hleaguer' and more entertaining than NoFX's "Franco Unamerican". The rest of the disc is decent, but President Forever is one of those songs I play nonstop. Thanks, H!