Various Artists
““Fat Music Volume 5: Live Fat Die Young””
(Fat Wreck Chords)
In the tenth grade I was together with this girl named Grace Kim who spent “hours and hours” making a mix-tape (no CD burners back then) for me. I treasured that tape and all of its great songs until I realized all she’d done was record “Fat Music Volume 2: Survival of the Fattest” and pass it off as her own handiwork. Needless to say, we broke up soon afterward. While Grace may never come back, Fat Mike and his label have, offering up 20 brand new, unreleased tracks of unabashed punk rock for your listening pleasure. All the heavy hitters are here: Lagwagon, No Use for a Name, Good Riddance, Mad Caddies, Strung Out, Swingin’ Utters, NOFX, Propagandi and lots, lots more. Past Fat Wreck compilations have generally included only a handful of unreleased tracks sandwiched between material already available on the various bands’ full-length releases. “Live Fat Die Young” however, contains tracks each band recorded exclusively for the project, making this a must have and more than justifying the slightly higher sticker price. So pick up Volume 5 and beware of cute Asian girls in the LA area and their mix tapes.
