No Means No

While most American fans may have long left Nomeansno for dead, in Europe its cult hasn't waned, and the early '80s post-punk originators from Canada remain hallowed punk statesmen up north. They still tour once a year in Europe, but it's been nearly six years since they've released a record.

Maybe the nonexistent expectations help, but their 14th album, All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt, is largely triumphant. There's more of that stuttering, stomping hard/art-core that can slow and twirl on a dime, with acrobatic drumming that never gets too mathy. Songs can become oddly majestic ("In Her Eyes") or dopey funny ("I See a Mansion in the Sky"), but most are seriously ticked off ("Ashes," "Wake Up").

While Nomeansno falls squarely into the category of "guy music," stuff like the girly backup vocals of "So Low" and the band's general self-effacing humor means its never macho. All Roads is a timely reminder that Nomeansno was equal in intensity and creativity to its recently re-examined peers the Minutemen and Mission of Burma.