Nicotine - School of Liberty

There's a good chance you've never heard of Nicotine, and that could be because the foursome comes from Chiba, Japan, and not the Southern California punk scene that comes across in their music. Playing NOFX and the like style punk rock, Nicotine presents a solid album with School of Liberty. The album is full of "whoa ohs", catchy choruses, and guitar hooks, but doesn't introduce anything you've never heard before. At the same time, though, you might find yourself giggling at the band's attempts at singing in English. It comes off pretty well, but it's still obvious that the band doesn't speak the language. Did I mention the cover of Green Day's classic "Basket Case"? Thankfully, School of Liberty is a playful, feel-good album that you can throw in without having to concentrate on the music, and just enjoy what's coming out of the stereo. [www.asianmanrecords.com]