joshthevegan

The second installment in the Fat Wreck Chords sampler series benefits from an expanded roster for the label. By this point Fat Mike had gathered a nice variety of artists; from the staunch political stances of Propagandhi and Good Riddance, to the light-hearted pop punk of Me First & The Gimme Gimmes and Bracket and everything in between, "Survival Of The Fattest" has a little something for everyone.

The most notable additions to the lineup are the foreign imports. Hi-Standard from Japan, Wizo from Germany, Frenzal Rhomb from Australia, and Snuff from the U.K. help elevate this collection above being just a sampling of the works from a single label to almost being a look at the face of punk rock worldwide at that time.

In 1996, punk rock was still riding high on the renaissance that began in 1994, and "Survival Of The Fattest" is a great way to step briefly into that time, and what an enjoyable time capsule it is.

Survival Of The Fattest - 9 out of 10

The first video here is for Tilt's fantastic "Libel." Cinder Block has one of the greatest voices in punk rock history, and "Libel" is potentially the best song the band has ever recorded. Next is Diesel Boy performing "Titty Twister" live. As much as I love this song, it's the only one I've found by the band that I like. Good Riddance is one of my favorite punk bands from this era, (they were, after all from the next state over from me, and man I love that east coast punk) and "Mother Superior" stands as one of their most classic. The next one is a great early version of "Nation States" by Propagandhi live on the streets of San Diego. The final video here is Hi-Standard's take on The MaMas & The Papas "California Dreamin'."