No Respect is a ska band from Germany, and Tunes of Decline is their third album, which was released in 2002.
She Changed Her Mind is a great way to kick things off. Built on a high-energy foundation, it also features wonderfully catchy horn lines and choruses.
On the other hand, Bad Joke is quite amateur-hour protest punk-rock. I quite like the anti-sellout message of the vocals, but the instrumentals let it down. Although, it does redeem itself somewhat towards the end, courtesy great ska section.
This hit-and-miss phenomenon is unfortunately quite common throughout the album. Hate The World and Talk About Rebellion have their moments, but are also frustratingly disjointed. Madness & Normality has some fantastic horn lines and a wonderful energy, but the verses are a let-down and the overall composition is a dog's breakfast. And I have similar complaints for Never Slow Down, Cheap Talk and Tunes Of Decline. It's very frustrating, because the songs are just so close to being very enjoyable.
Another punk effort, Brainwashed, works a treat to inject some variety, and also as an enjoyable song in its own right. My highlights are the nicely integrated horn lines and the contrast of the two vocal styles.
Could Care Less is a superb bittersweet ballad. The subtle yet energetic groove reminds me of early Area-7, and it's topped off with a nicely catchy chorus.
Finally, Back Home In Derry is by far the best song on the album. And an all-time favourite ska song of mine. The amusing premise of the song (a German band singing about being on a convict boat to Australia and pining to be back home in their Irish city) is brilliantly told through wonderfully vivid lyrics. The groove of the song has a huge energy, not to mention the infectious sing-a-long chorus. It's up their with Dropkick Murphys at their best. The horn lines also deserve special mention, for being nicely integrated and adding to the depth and texture of the song. It makes a great change from the typical ska approach of a cheesy horn line tacked on to a song. For much of this album, I've whinged about the band's consistency; well it all comes together in this song and the result is brilliant.
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