This is NFG’s second full-length album. At first, I didn’t like them all that much, but after a couple of good listens, I had to adjust my clouded vision. Judging from their almost-cheesy video for ‘My Friends Over You’ and the artwork on this CD, you’d expect them to be just the next Blink 182-type poppy punk band, but that would do the band injustice. Sure, poppy punk is definitely one of the main ingredients to this tasty dish, but there’s a lot more to it. The lyrics deal with so much heartbreak and faded friendships that there’s an emo feel to it I can’t deny. Musically, the bands shifts somewhere from Blink 182 to Saves The Day and from up-tempo punk tunes to gentle, melodic songs. The production is excellent (not THAT strange, since the band is on major MCA) and the songs are all catchy as hell. Songwriting is good as well, the songs obviously have a punk basis, but they also have a lot of rocking breaks to escape from the too standard structures and the guys have the skills to get away with it.

The vocals are melodic and just a bit snotty, but they go with the band’s style very well. Guest appearances include guys from Bane and H2O, which shows the band does a little more than just the average Fat Wreck-thing. I like this a lot, although the last songs on the album don’t seem to be as good as the first ones (the first four songs or so are to die for!) but they’re still very much worth your time. The last track contains about twenty minutes of silence, followed by someone who’s obviously lost his marbles in the studio, so don’t get fooled by the hour+ playing time of this disc. Sticks And Stones may not break my bones, but they sure rock the house!