The first Fat Wreck Chord's compilation proved that, contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as a free lunch (well, maybe not a free lunch, but a free CD at least). Beyond the unbeatable price of nada cents, there was even a substantial product to speak of - life was good. Perhaps feeling a financial bite, the Fat Wreck crew decided to charge a slight amount for their next collection; but four bucks for 17 songs (most of which were good) was still an impressive consumer value.

Enter Physical Fatness, Volume III The suggested retail price of $3.98 means that the label is still keeping it real, right? Not quite. If this comp is a fair representation of current punk trends, it's time the scene received a major makeover. 17 bands contributed to this effort, and the only ones to rise above mediocre sludge are the bands you already know. The remaining contributions are hardly memorable, and if they are it's because they have a cheesy hook that you don't want stuck in your head anyway.

Despite its glaring shortcomings, this CD is still a decent deal. A few of the stronger songs were previously unreleased, thereby making the humble sticker price nearly worth it. If that's not enough of an incentive, consider a practical one: if you listen to this disc, you'll know what new Fat releases to avoid.

-Kevin Rugerri