Symptoms

While one might expect an Israeli punk trio to have an accented, worldly spin to its music -- like Monotonix, for example -- Useless ID couldn't sound more like an American punk-pop group. On the first of their albums for Fat Wreck Chords, the label's influence is clearly felt. In fact, there's not much to differentiate Symptoms from a late-period NOFX record. Compared to Fat Mike, Yotam Ben Horin's lyrics are more emo-centric than punny, but otherwise he sounds a lot like him, and similarly, his songs are quick blasts, full of boxy distorted riffs, "whoa-oh" vocals, and slapdash drumming. In other words, it's pretty standard skatepunk, despite the origins of the band. That said, they deserve credit for imitating the sounds of Southern California so accurately, and assuming that was their intention, working with the Descendents' Bill Stevenson again as a producer was a smart judgment call. ~ Jason Lymangrover