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NO ALTERNATIVE
"Now Or Never"


SNR-1018
Total Running Time:
 

Bright, brash and bratty are three words to describe the punk sounds of this trio. With sharp songs and performance, there really is no alternative!

  1. Reflection

  2. Tonight

  3. One Last Chance

  4. Playing With Fire

  5. Second & Main

  6. Chemically Induced Blues

  7. I Wanna Be A Rock Star

  8. Home Alone Again

  9. Run With The River

  10. You Were A Friend

  11. No Regrets

The debut full-length release from this Detroit pop-punk trio is a pleasant, radio-friendly romp through every high-school senior's dreams. Eleven high-energy tunes capture the feel of the moment you first dreamed of playing in a rock band, experimenting wiht drugs, or buying alcohol legally. With a sound that touches all the Blink 182 and Green Day bases, No Alternative is certainly on hte inside track for a return engagement on the Warped Tour. Though most of the songs seem to start out by grabbing you with adolescent adrenaline, there are a few nuce acoustic intros to break up the formula, and a nice ska tune "Home Alone Again". This album is a great start for a talented group. - Dug - Scratch Magazine

 

Not the great, late 70's San Francisco punk band, this new, young Detroit trio are OK heirs to the moniker-even if their brand of punk is the poppy type found occasionally in the charts, rather than the classic Social D-like '77 sound I prefer.
But for whatever resemblance they have to the sort of groups that ultimately bore me, like Green Day or Sum 41, the new N.A. have a lot more heart-felt prodding than either, more in that stronger Descendents/All or Pointed Sticks kind of
likeability. It's that real pop sense to their punk, plus sharp playing that makes them good. It's little things, too, like the 'ahhh-hhh" backing vocals on "Reflection" and the bouncier rhythms of the keyboard-enhanced "Tonight", or the six-eight
waltz-timed "One Last Chance." Likewise the soaring hook of "Playing With Fire." And though they dress like typical hardcore toughs without a brain between them, the sweet-boy caring lyrics written and sung by Colin Mattson totally belies that-proof again that it is wrong to judge books by their sartorial covers. Hey, he's the sort of caring, thoughtful punk rock kid you'd want your punk rock daughter to date, assuming you were a punk rock parent! - Jack Rabid - The Big Takeover

 

Heartbreak has been a source of lyrical inspiration for as long as weepy men with guitars have tried to tame old-flame sorrow through music. And Detroit’s No Alternative is no exception. Going through the punk-pop tracks on this 11-song effort, it appears vocalist/guitarist Colin Mattson has been burned a few times by the book of love. But don’t mistake this for sappy penmanship. The Ska-tinged “Home Alone Again” busts out wailing drum beats and guitar crunch as Mattson unjustly declares “you’re out having lots of fun/I’m alone at home,” continuing on this downtrodden path on “You Were a Friend” (“now it’s over and life goes on”) and “Reflection” (the girl all the guys were dreaming of”). But Now or Never is not entirely dear-diary dirges. “I Wanna be a Rockstar” inspects the concept of selling out, while “Second and Main” reminds us of the hazards of falling into a daily grind. Finally: angst that one doesn’t get tired of hearing. - Omar Perez - Altarnative.com

 

This CD features pop punk [ala Green Day] from this Detroit threesome, which at times is playful, others furious. Songs such as "Playing with Fire," and "No Regrets," help make this a fine album. There’s even a pinch of Ramones to be heard here. A fine album from a band I’d never really heard of before. - Paul Hahn, Vox Pop Zine

 

I'm thinking of getting my guitar and moving to Detroit. Somewhere in the suburban sprawl is a band, No Alternative, and I want to be in their band. Anyway, No Alternative has a pop-punk aesthetic with a deep, down spirit. Overall, their album, Now or Never, is a very tight album with eleven songs about finding yourself, the suburban wasteland and even love No Alternative displays a variety of musical styles, which includes a mellow instrumental with moments of intensity. Or a ska song that drove me crazy because I thought it was an un-credited cover song and I couldn't think of what it would be. Well, it wasn't a cover song, but they did appropriate a line from Green Day's Paper Lanterns, which had a similar sound at a certain part. The only songs that I really wasn't "into" were One Last Chance and Playing with Fire. They sounded a little too Weezer-ish for me and seemed to over-power No Alternative's personal sound. Some of the highlights of Now or Never were ballads such as Reflections, Tonight, Second & Main, and You were a Friend and the album ends on a high note with No Regrets. So, Colin, Todd and Max Keep your eyes peeled for a man aimlessly wondering the Detroit suburbs with a guitar in one hand and pulling a half-stack in the other. At times, he may even yell out desperately "No Alternative!" Chances are, he may look a little underfed and there is a better chance that it will be me. - Erik Kluiber, The Michigander