Album Reviews

Not really a review because… well, it’s right there in the title. The Lawrence Arms are the champions of the world. There’s really not a lot more to add after that.

In honor of the band’s 20^th anniversary, Fat Wreck decided it would be a good idea to release a best-of album. And with every single release by these guys being nothing less than awesome, it explains why there are a whoppin’ 29 songs on here. And not just from their Fat Wreck years. The band’s earlier Asian Man releases are represented alongside cuts from 2014’s ‘Metronome,’ the band’s sole Epitaph release to date. And as an extra special bonus, this album comes with five previously unreleased cuts, taken from recording sessions from 2006’s ‘Oh! Calcutta!’.

If you aren’t too familiar with The Lawrence Arms, this is a great place to start falling in love with one of Chicago’s finest bands. Already own all their albums? Well, there are five new songs on here. That’s almost one song for every year that has passed since their last release. No wait. That doesn’t sound right. I suck as much at math as these guys excel at writing catchy, energetic punk rock songs peppered with literary references.

Track listing:

1. On with the Show
2. Great Lakes/Great Escapes
3. Alert the Audience!
4. 100 Resolutions
5. The Devil’s Takin' Names
6. Beautiful Things
7. Quincentuple Your Money
8. The Slowest Drink at the Saddest Bar on the Snowiest Day in the Greatest City
9. Are You There Margaret? It's Me, God.
10. Right as Rain Part 2
11. Seventeener (17th and 37th)
12. Chapter 13: The Hero Appears
13. The Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure
14. Light Breathing (Me and Martha Plimpton in a Fancy Elevator)
15. Like a Record Player
16. You are Here
17. Boatless Booze Cruise Part 1
18. Brick Wall Views
19. Sixteen Hours
20. Turnstiles
21. An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance
22. The Northside, the L&L and Any Number of Crappy Apartments
23. Porno & Snuff Films
24. Demons
25. The Rabbit and the Rooster
26. Catalog *
27. Black Snow *
28. Laugh Out Loud *
29. Warped Summer Extravaganza (Turbo Excellent) *