Murder By Death/O'Death Split 7"

"Murder By Death are releasing the first of 7 records in a 7" series where they trade covering songs with other bands they know. The second 7" will feature MBD performing O'Death's "Home" and O'Death performing MBD's "Brother"."
- via Murder By Death's official website

The split opens with Murder By Death's cover of "Home", a string-driven southern gothic carousel that would sound just at home on Who Will Survive... as it does on Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin.

O'Death's version of "Brother" follows, initially starting slower and more measured than the original, only to pick up to a frenzied, squealing pace come the chorus, sounding very much like the musical output of the barnyard band at a meth addict's country jamboree in the process.

Murder By Death/O'Death split

Air Raid Barcelona - Air Raid Barcelona

These guys put their demo up for free, and it's really good, and you should listen.

C'monnnnnnnnnnn. Do itttttttt.

*ahem*

Summary: Thick, jangly, Latterman-influenced pop-punk with hooks that sound pried from the cold, dead hands of Shorebirds (or perhaps some other band with a little more name recognition), with a little West Coast flare thrown in for good measure.

If that sounds at all up your alley, check it out.

Air Raid Barcelona

Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain

she says she likes the agnostic front/they've got crazy fast guitars

A definitive attribute of early hardcore was its ability to push boundaries, be they political or musical. Hardcore advocated a different message and a different style with which to promote it, eschewing the almost glam sensitivities of late 70's punk rock for a more stripped down, back-to-basics approach. Shaved heads eclipsed the mohawk, and the ideals of punk shifted from pseudo-counter-culturalism to the notion of a scene based on acceptance (even if it didn't always abide by those ideals).

But as the 80's progressed, it became clear that the new flag-bearers of the hardcore landscape would not be the ones who played it safe and stuck only to the formulas established by the early luminaries of the genre; you can only re-hash Minor Threat so many times before people stop listening. And so hardcore pushed out of its box. Some bands experimented, infusing shots of country and Americana into their approach, crossing boundaries and gaining the closest thing hardcore had had to a major audience yet. Others slowed down the tempo and became more introspective, focusing their songwriting abilities rather than submitting to the 'harder, faster louder' approach borne by earlier bands. And others still went in the exact opposite direction, pushing the envelope in the only way they could, by taking hardcore and making it heavier, faster, louder and more aggressive than ever before. Agnostic Front belonged to this last group.

Unsurprisingly given their playing style, Agnostic Front hailed from New York City, a place whose hardcore scene they eventually helped define (alongside many other local bands) with their blending of grimy, down-turned punk and fast-paced thrash metal heaviness. In 1984, the band broke out with their seminal hardcore album Victim in Pain, which, for better or for worse, was hugely influential in the NYHC scene. This lead to further crossovers between hardcore and thrash metal, not the least of which by Agnostic Front themselves, that, depending on your point of view, either showcase hardcore at its most aggressive and fully realized or at its most mindlessly macho and insular. None of which takes away the fact that, as Victim in Pain shows us, Agnostic Front were a force to be reckoned with.


Listening to the album, the guitars are no doubt the first thing to be noticed. They have a very dark quality to them that seems universal in 80's punk, be it American or British, and the rate at which they're played borders on suffocation. Combined with the forceful and often relentless drumming, the whole package blares about like a sonic buzzsaw. While the song structures are fairly typical for hardcore, there's still something notable in the ferocity with which they're played. And yet, in spite of this when the band relaxes and takes their fingers off the button just a little bit, this results in Agnostic Front's best material. The typical Agnostic Front song volleys back and forth between the aforementioned buzzsaw-style passages and a selection of more measured parts that help to reel in the aggression, and thereby put a manner of emphasis on it. This isn't to say that the occasional straight-up barn-burner isn't there, nor to say that it doesn't absolutely kill - "Hiding Inside" is as strong a song as you'll find from the Agnostic Front. Just to say that when it comes to tracks like "Blind Justice" and "Last Warning", it's the comparably slower sections that make these songs notable, while the blast beat-style drum sections work only to de-sensitize the listener to the song's better sections.

Blink and you'll miss it - eleven songs, fifteen minutes are all that comprise Victim in Pain, but that doesn't make it any less of a hardcore classic. While their songwriting often suffered from immaturity, and while they may not hold up as well to modern ears as some of their more experimental and more influential peers, Agnostic Front still feel like the masters of their own niche: heavier than hardcore, more down-to-earth than metal, and as driven as anyone or anything else out there.


victim in pain

Union Young America - Kill the Man in Everything 7"

This is an absolutely fantastic 7" from mid-90's Ontario hardcore band Union Young America. Originally made in 1995, this three song EP is the group's only known release to date, and it features a sound similar to Admiral, or Three Penny Opera, or maybe a gruffer Native Nod. Complex, powerful jams that mix beautiful instrumental sparsity with an ear for melody and a predisposition for intense, excitable crescendos. The guitars in "Dem's Be Fighting Words" make this worth a listen on their own, but each song has at least one part that makes you think "wow", including the gentle, sinewy breaks during "Kevorkian" and the soaring choruses of "What You Know".

If the name alone doesn't intrigue you into giving this a listen, then I don't know what else I can say.

you bet i fucking tried

One Year of failing [the rorschach test]

that's right everybody! it's been exactly one full year since i had anything better to do with my time.

fuck yeah

and to celebrate, i'm having cake.


i do not know how to draw cake.

Modern Life is War - Modern Life is War 7"

Early Modern Life is War release, a three song 7" of noisy, aggressive, and above all else, passionate hardcore punk. From the throwback hooks and infectious chorus of "Destination Death or Better Days", to the fist-pumping chants of "Fakes Like You (Make Me Sick)", this EP shows off Modern Life is War at their most anthemic. And while their sound isn't as ground-breakingly fresh or well-developed as it would become, there is plenty of intersting work on display, with the dense riffs and seething desperation of "The Farmer's Holiday Association" sounding a lot like the band circa Witness. This is a great, blood-pumping release from one of the best hardcore bands of the decade. Raise your voice (and your fist) and sing along.

Modern Life is War 7"

Admiral - Admiral 7"

Admiral was a short-lived emo/hardcore band from the early 90's, the members of which would on to play in Navio Forge and Hoover as the decade wore on.

The group maintains the atmosphere and wall-of-sound guitarwork that would be prevalent on Navio Forge, but here it is imbued with a sense of melody and songwriting mechanics that make the final product as catchy as it is moody. Sounding at times equal parts Naked Raygun and The Hated, the band merges post-punk despondence ("Brother Can You Spare a Dime") and D.C.-influenced hardcore nostalgia ("Horns Lay Silent") into a dynamic and interesting listen.

This is really great stuff for anyone who likes Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, or any of the aforementioned bands.

Admiral 7"

Killing Joke - Killing Joke

Killing Joke is one of those bands that are made an enigma by their own inconsistency. At times, they are electrifying, a post-punk/proto-industrial hybrid that feels a full decade ahead of their time, playing moody, driven music loaded with political and existential angst. The band’s combination of ‘doom-and-gloom’ metal heaviness with the faster tempos of the burgeoning punk rock scene was notably different from the parallel direction hardcore bands were taking in order to further push the envelope in its stress of mood and atmosphere, as opposed to the catch-all hardcore solution of ‘just play a little faster’. Not only was this combination unique for post-punk, a movement splintering more and more into arty, futurist-aping synth bands, but it was a direct precursor, both spiritually and sonically, for the industrial metal movement of the late 80’s and 90’s. Listening to their self-titled album now with the benefit of almost 30 years of hindsight, Killing Joke practically define industrial as we now recognize it, even though they pre-date our current understanding of it, existing in a time when industrial was an often radically experimental genre lead by the Throbbing Gristles of the world.

And yet, for a band so well ahead of their time, Killing Joke is as much an object of frustration as they are an object of adulation. The group seems to exist so much better in singles and playlist snippets than they do on a full album listen. Sure, a track like “The Wait” is the kind of thing that will force you to take notice, comprising of an infectiously brooding buzz saw guitar line and a rapacious tempo that once again heralds industrial comparisons. The song is noisy like a steel mill and excessively bleak, yet there is no denying its inherent catchiness. And it’s not the only highlight: Opener “Requiem” is EBM at its most anthemic, a dance-y affair where the appeal transcends the no doubt gothic core of Killing Joke’s audience, and “Wardance” is an echoic, strongly-paced synth-metal track where the vocals are spitted out in a guttural, Germanic rasp.


Ultimately, what makes these songs great is their sense of urgency. Not only are they the fastest-paced songs on Killing Joke, but they just carry with them a feeling of intensity. Elsewhere, however, the band lulls about far too much to keep up this feeling. “SO36” is a plodding gothic waltz that never goes anywhere interesting, content just to linger awkwardly and take up space. This is symptomatic of a greater problem at work in Killing Joke. Too often the focus on atmosphere comes at the expense of listenability, and while it is this unique dynamic that makes Killing Joke so fresh and different, you get the sense that they don’t really know what they’re doing with it yet. Which is a shame, considering that just a few years later they’d be moving in the opposite direction, with their sound coming off as overdramatic and cheesy as opposed to overly insular.

So while it is flawed, Killing Joke remains a landmark, both for its influence and its ingenuity. Great at times yet occasionally middling in quality, as an album, it still manages to hit more than it misses. With their debut album, Killing Joke escaped the routine experimentation post-punk was mired in, and instead created something new, something rough, yet something genuine enough to be the launching pad for an entire generation of artists. And while it’s easy to get frustrated by what could have been, it’s just as easy to think of what couldn’t and wouldn’t have been without a jumping off point to begin with.


Killing Joke

Homoeroticism in Hardcore: An Essay

*ahem*

you can cut that shit with a knife.

The Ergs!/Lemuria Split EP

The Ergs! are a bouncy, hook-laden, Ramones-style pop-punk trio from New Jersey who show little to no shame in reproducing their influences. They also play a stellar version of "Hey Jealousy", which you may remember as that song from the trailer to every other mid-90's romantic comedy. Except now it's okay to like it, cuz it has mad punk cred to it.

Lemuria is a power pop trio from Buffalo, who play slower, but similarly catchy pop-oriented songs as The Ergs. Strong melodies and excellent use of dual male/female vocalists typify their sound, comparable here to early Thermals. Also typifying their sound: being really super good. I should mention that too.

Spoiler Alert: The Ergs! eventually defeat Lemuria through the use of the hereto unmentioned Ultimate Nullifier. The Earth is saved... but at what cost

the ergs! vs. lemuria

Banner Pilot/Monikers Split EP

Banner Pilot are aggressively peppy pop-punk with a burning drive, a heart of gold and access to at least three Dillinger Four records. Monikers are a rough-and-tumble gang of misfits from the wrong side of the tracks, their unmitigated insistence on booze, debauchery and loose morals being the direct cause of many a sheriff to throw his hat in the air in an act of frustration.

One doesn't play by the rules. The other regularly converses with an eight foot tall bunny named Harvey that only Fred and Barney can see. Together, they must find the jade monkey before celebrity cameo Peter Lorre and his band of murderous fiends take Ohio... by force! Will they ever learn how to work together without hilariously offbeat shenanigans ensuing?

find out upon listening to...

another great pop-punk split release!

get it here, dum-dums


Next time: Unwitting superhero faction "The Ergs" face off against Lemuria, a being of pure energy that eats entire galaxies for sport! Don't miss it!

Andrew Jackson Jihad/French Quarter Split

Or: Fresh Quarter/French Jihad: Mix Tape Volume One: "Valley of the Slum"


This is a split release by Arizona folk-punk group Andrew Jackson Jihad and French Quarter, the ambient/lo-fi folk project of singer/songwriter Stephen Steinbrink. The entire thing is performed live, with both acts not only playing their own material but covering each other as well (French Quarter covers the darkly funny "Another Beer"; AJJ cover "Bold With Fire", possibly French Quarter's best song).

On their side, French Quarter play a relaxing brand of dreamy, atmospheric folk. Soothing and almost ethereal in sound, it comes off very well as a part of the live atmosphere, with both guitar and bass gently plodding along, the latter echoing beautifully among the lighter sounds of the acoustic guitar.

The Andrew Jackson Jihad songs don't translate quite as well here, but while their side comes off as almost (but not quite) hit or miss, it also contains the two most notable stand-outs from this split: the frantic "Sheriff Ochs" and the Dead Prez cover "DPS". The former is everything you expect from Andrew Jackson Jihad at their best and most up-tempo, while the latter is everything you would never think to expect; namely, a rap, performed with stellar instrumental backup. It's as white as you'd expect, but it's also very well done, making it a joy to listen to for more than just the initial novelty. "DPS" isn't the only bit of hip-hop flavour though, as "Fucking Science" also features a spoken word rant on the state of hip-hop, although it feels like more of an extended interlude than anything else. The two songs act as a kind of ode to the genre in question, allowing Bonette and Gallaty to give credit to some of the more non-apparent influences in their music (influences which would surface again with the more recent Operation Stackola EP).

All in all, this is a good full-length split by two strong, proven acoustic acts, catchy where it needs be, and enjoyable the whole way through.

Fresh Quarter/French Jihad

RVIVR - Life Moves 7"

RVIVR is a four-piece punk band that features members from Latterman and Shorebirds, sounding fairly similar to the rough, early sounds of the latter. Life Moves marks the band's first release, and it is a stellar example of gritty, emotional pop-punk that abounds both in hooks and intensity.

The band's formula could probably be written down as shouted vocals surrounded by whirring guitars and a humming, measured bass, but this would be to ignore the variety and intelligibility of each individual track. Every song stands out on its own as catchy, energetic and passionate, and this is why Life Moves is such a great EP, comparable even to Lifetime's Tinnitus in its ability to blend aggression and pop melody.

Title track "Life Moves" opens the EP, a wistful song which soars with hope and vitality almost in spite of itself, as upbeat for the future as it is nostalgic for the past. The theme is simple: life moves, regardless of whether you want it to or not. This is followed by the fun, frenetic whir of "Plenty of Time", a song which seems to reply to the previously addressed problem with a resounding "Who cares?".

At this point, RVIVR show off the poppier side of their attack; the third song, "Can't Stand It", follows a guitar riff that could be attached to the catchiest of 80s fluff, yet it still feels grounded in RVIVR's rough, basement punk appeal.

However, the stand-out track, if one had to be picked, would have to be the closer, "Scrooged". The song begins in a furious and lively fashion, building and maintaining tension beautifully throughout its three minute run-time as the singers wax poetic about government corruption. The lyrics are powerful, although less of their own accord than through the forcefulness with which they're delivered. "Scrooged" provides an impassioned and rather pessimistic finish to a fantastic and otherwise fairly upbeat EP.

and they'll take what they want

Download it here or buy it here.

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Holey Man, Holey War

Andrew Jackson Jihad are a prolific Americana-tinged folk-punk group from Arizona, consisting on this release of acoustic guitar, upright bass and drums (although the musical lineup has been subject to change between each release, generally revolving around main members Sean Bonette (singer, guitar) and Ben Gallaty (bass) along with occasional outside elements). Holey Man, Holey War was a demo release, one which would later be compiled along with a number of other tracks from the group's early days on Candy Cigarettes and Cap Guns.

However, from the rollicking anti-country of "Ladykiller", to the more desperate, although still tongue-in-cheek sounds of "Who Would Jesus Fuck Up?", it becomes clear that Holey Man, Holey War is more about taking the piss out of things than anything else. Perhaps the standout track in this regard is "My Father Didn't Love Me", a decidedly depressing singalong song that remains catchy in spite of itself, with the narration focusing on cartoonishly over-the-top depictions of child abuse that directly belie the innocent tone Bonette uses in singing it.

So no, for anyone still wondering, Holey Man, Holey War doesn't have the maturity, nor the depth of the band's superlative 2007 release People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World, but then again, it's not trying to be either - hell, it's a direct step in the opposite direction. What it is is a collection of catchy, offbeat and rather original sounding folk songs that shouldn't be taken with the utmost of seriousness.

You can find it here.

Rival Schools - United by Fate

There are at least two things I know about Walter Schreifels: 1) He’s the virtuoso guitarist and sometimes singer/songwriter/lyricist behind several of the biggest bands to come out of the New York hardcore scene in the past 20 years, including Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand, and, alongside former bandmate Sammy Siegler (drummed for Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits), the founder of Rival Schools and 2) He really likes using pedals.

I mean, if United by Fate is any indication. There are plenty of aspects of note that occur within this album: the supergroup-style collaboration of NYHC mainstays, the cultivation of a more varied and musically eclectic sound for long-time hardcore kids, as opposed to the raw, straight-forward outrage of the Youth Crew days, as well as just a general sense of established maturity that runs throughout United by Fate. But what always jumps out at me each and every time I listen is the guitars: the variety, the experimentation, the way they manage to emphasize both melody and heaviness in their own respective turns. Not only is the guitar work fantastic, but it sets the tone, taking an ambitious hardcore effort and turning it into a concoction that is as much owing to grunge and alternative as it is punk rock. Such a crossover could easily end up going sour in any number of ways, but surprisingly, it works.


Played differently, United by Fate could come off as just another melodic punk album, but then the very sense of maturity that sets it apart would be lost. The song writing would still allow it to stand out, but it wouldn’t sound as new, as fresh. Instead, the guitars are crushing when they have to be, and catchy, even elegant, when they don’t. Bits and pieces of Gorilla Biscuits come through in the underlying song structure, and one can sense a definite melodic hardcore influence on United by Fate, but it isn’t the prevailing influence. Rival Schools’ sound is more reminiscent of mid-90’s post-grunge, except instead of sounding watered down and depleted, like the pop radio hits of that era, they sound a novel combination, both vibrant and aggressive. A good comparison might be to the Matthew Good Band, circa Underdogs, another example of a band that manages to be listener-friendly without giving up its claws.

Guitar isn’t Schreifels’ only contribution to United by Fate though. As vocalist, he performs ably. Schreifels sings with a world-weary rasp, plodding through the slower sections with a sense of beaten down fatigue. This aspect perfectly serves to accentuate the urgency in his voice when the music picks up, as he powers through the heavier, more energetic sections with all the force he can muster. The result adds a human core to the otherwise interesting instrumental arrangements, one especially present on the excellent “Undercovers On”, a somewhat cryptic song about a meeting between two people whose relationship has lapsed. The song is driven by a slow-moving bass line and Schreifels voice matches with all the enthusiasm of grim death, but as the guitars pick up and the song crescendos, the simple tale of two people drifting apart becomes epic in scope, teeming with passion and relatable in sentiment.

Rival Schools’ debut album is a blistering tribute to what grunge should have begat: music which is heavy without being mindless and emotional without feeling feigned. If this is what happens when hardcore kids grow up, then sign me up.

United by Fate

Snowing - Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit (Demo)

Snowing are a Pennsylvania-area band that play math-tinged emo in the vein of Cap'n Jazz, placing emphasis on smooth melodies and whirling, instrumental chaos, replete with light, winding guitar riffs and pained, throat-scraping vocals. Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit is a 5-song demo which was released by the band earlier this year, and although a demo, it has an orchestrated passion to it that far more experienced outfits would be hard-pressed to match. From the impassioned euphony of opener "Sam Rudich", to the fiercely energetic "Important Thngs (Specter Magic)", to math-influenced closer "Methuselah Rookie Card" , the group showcases an intriguing collusion of technicality, melody and emotion, a blend that is as much already realized as it is brimming with potential.


This is a must-listen for anyone who's a fan of Tim Kinsella, or even just 90's indie/emo in general.

Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit

Shorebirds - Shorebirds 7"

Pop-punk project featuring Matt Canino of Latterman on guitar and lead vocals and Chris Bauermeister of Jawbreaker on bass. Owing obvious sonic influences to both of the aforementioned groups, Shorebirds combine melody and passion into a powerful and occasionally uplifting package. This 7" is a lot rougher than their eventual full-length, It's Gonna Get Ugly, which was released last year, but it crackles with DIY enthusiasm and a vinyl hiss that adds to the roughness of the sound. Music for a restless night when you're trapped in the city with nothing to do.

Shorebirds 7"

Latterman - Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing

“what we need round here is positive people”

Latterman is one of those bands that’s just a joy to listen to. The Long Island foursome play with an intense energy and passion for their music, their lyrics are unapologetically upbeat, and their music radiates with an undaunted positivity, as if to re-assure the listener that everything’s going to be alright. To use an analogy taken from Allmusic, Latterman “is like the musical equivalent of a friend patting you on the back and dragging you out for a cold beer after spending the day feeling a bit down”.

Turn Up the Punk, We’ll Be Singing is Latterman’s first full-length album. Originally released on Traffic Violation Records in 2002, it got a re-release on Deep Elm in 2005 thanks to the greater popularity that came with the release of their second album, No Matter Where We Go…! The album is rawer than much of what would come after it, yet still imbued with much better production values than anything the band had released previously. Turn Up the Punk is then something of a middle ground in the evolution of Latterman’s sound, caught between the rougher, basement band punk of their demo and early seven inches, and the cleaner, more varied and melodic band they would grow into on subsequent full-lengths. And yet, it is undeniably memorable because of those clashing directions.

Musically, the group creates what sounds like a combination of pop-punk and post-hardcore, mixing the airy, upbeat tones of the former with the heaviness and instrumental complexity of the latter. Whether strummed or picked, the guitars emit a melodic and joyous pitch that wonderfully emphasizes the optimism and positivity that reigns throughout not just Turn Up the Punk, but Latterman’s entire discography. The music crackles with a youthful vigour, one that signifies the passion of the people playing it.


And while there isn’t too much variety to speak of, the songs never sound recycled from one another, with distinctions coming both in the form of well-placed hooks and well-defined lyrical subject matter. The typical punk subjects of mid-20 something apathy are touched on (“My Dreams About Not Sleeping Until 3 p.m.”, “Too Many Emo Days”), but always in the sense of “Well, what can we do about this?” Latterman doesn’t just examine the problems surrounding their lives, but actively (and optimistically) looks at what they, and you, as individuals can do about it. Rather than wallow in self-pity, each song is its own anthem of empowerment, garnished with equally anthemic chants and rallying cries.

If you let your heart tell you who you need to be
You'll find a beautiful person in the mirror everyday

Even when Latterman engages in social criticism (“The Biggest Sausage Party Ever”), they still address it from a perspective of what can be done about it, as opposed to one of abject despondence. Consumer culture and gender inequalities are chief topics of criticism, with awareness, honesty and DIY being promoted as ways of combating these social ills from the standpoint of the individual.

On Turn Up the Punk, We’ll Be Singing, Latterman conceive their inimitable and passionate brand of punk rock with a bang, creating a style just as individual as the message they preach. This is not just energetic and anthemic pop-punk, delivered with an upbeat attitude and a strong sense of social morality, but a shining example of the level of originality still achievable in punk. Pick yourself up a cold beer and give it a listen.

remind ourselves ten years from now
just what we need

Nothington - One for the Road

Today's post continues this blog's current streak of me posting nothing but gruff, semi-melodic and all-too unheralded punk rock in bite-sized doses. May the streak never die.

Hailing from San Francisco comes Nothington, a punk band made of ex-Tsunami Bomb and Enemy You members that blends HWM-style punk with traditional Southern musical leanings. Nothington takes a bit of a detour from previous bands looked at, in that they noticeably veer off from conventional punk rock to the point where it sounds more like electrically charged, up-tempo country than anything else. The vocals conjure up images of a pissed-off Tom Waits, the singer's strained growl sounding like it was influenced by equal parts whiskey and cigarettes. Twangy guitars and low lying bass lines support, with the end result sounding as much bar band as it does punk rock.

This 7" was the group's debut, released a month before their 2007 full-length All In, and it features tracks from that album as well as some B-sides.

Recommended for Leatherface and American Steel fans.

One for the Road

Chinese Telephones/Dear Landlord Split 7"

Recorded and released in 2007, this split is a dual effort from two talented Mid-western punk groups, Dear Landlord and Chinese Telephones. The first group, Dear Landlord, definitely has the better side of the split, as they play with the kind of relentlessness and energy usually reserved to basement shows and community centers, only with the skill to back it. They manage to successfully supplement their aggressive approach with a number of memorable hooks and melodies, sounding more than a little bit like early-00's Dillinger Four in the process. The guitars are pummeling in their assault, and the production works to emphasize their strength excellently. The vocals are spectacular as well, delivered with the kind of energy and urgency that, combined with the similarly desperate spirit of the lyrics, practically demand to be sung along with (if you can figure them out anyway).

we're not that hopeless
we're not as fucked as you think
in certain moments
we can do anything

we're winning when you bleed

Chinese Telephones, on the other hand, play a brand of punk that, while less refined in sound quality and production, emphasizes a more upbeat approach, namely in the guitarwork; if Dear Landlord can be compared to Dillinger Four, then a suitable comparison for Chinese Telephones could be a rougher-sounding Latterman. The result of both the production and the band's chaotic style of playing is a much messier and more organic feel to their songs. Unfortunately, the vocals tend to get drowned out much more easily this way, rendering much of the lyrics undecipherable. Regardless, this is a very strong split from two bands that deserve more attention than they're getting, and an excellent way to spend your next eight minutes.


i'm not saying get'er done, but don't just stand there