No Motiv: Diagram For Healing : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

What separates these north-of-L.A. beach punks from their more southerly head-bangin' bro's? Sensitivity. NoMotiv doesn't lean on power chords, doesn't embrace punk orthodoxy and for all intents and purposes, come across like a slightly faster, rawer version of Ventura County guitar pop purveyors Toad the Wet Sprocket. Sure, they're loud and fast and there's not too much of the pop simper that was Toad's calling card circa "All I Want." But "Give Me Strength" and "Broken and Burned" are little more than revved-up jangle with an emphasis on minor key melodies and despairing lyrics, not exactly the thing macho dreams are made of. That would make them new punks, with "Only You" sounding very much like a lighter Blink-182 and the rest of the disc being very Green Day-friendly. The great exception is "Going Numb" which sets a good ol' swingin' backbeat beneath an utterly miserable plaint -- pretty damn complex for a little punk band, but a nice surprise. While this brew surely lacks the kick needed to ignite the heart of a diehard skater or surfer, each of the thirteen vignettes here is laced with genuine, radio-friendly choruses and guitar licks that have been the meat of classic rock for thirty years. Tradition -- ain't it grand? (JOHNNY ANGEL - May 1, 2001)