This record makes me love split albums again. Two of the best bands ever on one single disc and it makes me gonna jump on my bed. Mix the explosion of the ska punk of AAA and the soft indie rock of Common Rider: you get a kick ass work. Against All Authority play four songs in their classic style: ska punk rock influenced by hardcore and power pop too, with raw vocals, horns and blisterning guitar riffs. Basically, pioneers of ska punk. Common Rider is Jesse Micheals, ex Operation Ivy, and he plays the last four songs ever made by Jesse. After the “This Is Unity Music”, Common Rider delivers some amazing socially aware tunes as “Where The Waves Are Highest” and “Dogtown”. The disc is really great and fast, plus, it is sold at a super cheap price - aka: get this now.

A-F Records is releasing the CD version of this split originally came out on Spent Records as a 10″ sometimes ago. Each band plays three tunes and the nice thing is, every tune is ok. The Code starts with their punk rock ska influenced music, and on such songs as “In Hope” and “What’s It Gonna Take?” they show they can play good punk rock songs giving a strong message at the same time. Whatever It Takes was the side project of Anti Flag’s Chris#2, and their songs are something like a cross between pop punk and punk rock. Too bad this band quit, because they had really some good issues as “In The Orchad” and “Both Can’t Survive”. If you enjoy punk music, and the latest AF Records releases, this split CD is something to check out.

The new split album on Deep Elm is the meeting of three of the finest bands on the Charlotte’s label roster on one disc. The record is made of six songs, and even tough every band plays some differnt songs, every lover of indie rock will find something on this cd. It all starts with Sounds Like Violence and their new track “I Push You Up The Stairs”, which is a great rock song. Unluckily SLV play just one track on the whole record. Why then? Then Settlefish and Deserct City Soundtack come next and the play the rest of the tunes. Settlefish have a good time playing tracks like “Curse Loosely” and “Who Placed The Dots On Dyslexia?”, and so do DSC on “January’s Loss” and “Send Your Soldiers To Do The Killing”. All of the three bands have something personal to play: SLV play damn good rock’n'roll, DCS play psychedelic indie rock, and Settlefish play their post hardcore raw music. If you’re into Deep Elm, this one is a must listen.

I think that the last split I ever heard was something between Satanic Surfers and Ten Foot Pole, back when those two bands did not suck. Then I think I heard very few split albums in my life. And now, I can say No Idea took my interest for split albums and put it out. Yea, because this new split between New Mexican Disatser Squad and Wester Addiction is quite neat. New Mexican Disatser Squad, a band that released stuff on AF Records and was promoted even by Strike Anywhere, is a compo of punks out of Orland who play something like melodic 80’s hardcore with fast drummings, heavy and techical guitars and raw vocals. Recored by Matt of Strike Anywhere, their songs are fast and heavy as well. In particular, they play “FVK”, a cover of Bad Brains, which is really sick and displays all of the skills of this four piece for writing catchy music. Wester Addiction hails from San Francisco and the band reminds me of a cross between Swingin Utters and Ill Repute. They have four songs including a cover of Naked Raygun’s “Rat Patrol”. I personally enjoyed New Mexican Disatser Squad a bit more but I thank NO IDEA for bringing back my attention to split albums.

The European version for the split album between Mike Felumlee ( ex-drummer for Alkaline Trio ) and Dan Andriano ( the actual bass player for Alkaline Trio ), comes out for Wynona and it is made of six tunes, with three tunes by each dude. Mike Felumlee starts first with his slow and pop ballads that remind me of The Smoking Popes slower stuff: “Something Better”, “Sunshine”, “As Long As We’re Here” are fine exapmle of how pop rock melodies can become infectious and catchy. Dan Andriano ( maybe my favorite of this split ) really puts some energy into this split, playing some tracks that sound like they were stolen from an Alkaline Trio album: “Way Too Many Times”, “Lucky Smoke Rings” and “Let The Stars Play” shows Dan’s great attitude in playing sick tracks about emotional and sentimental feelings. This split is top notch, if you’ve ever been a fan of the Trio, try to hear this.

After the awesome splits between Red Animal War and Slowride, here comes another great piece of music from Deep Elm’s recording artists. This split features three of the first bands that signed to the Charlotte’s record label, and it’s not the average split that you hear around these days; for two reasons: the three bands play a different amount of songs, and the music is just beautiful. Brandston start the record with a song named “Dead Animals”, where they develope their sound even further, as a mix of what was on “Death And Taxes” and on “Dial In Sounds”: their sound is catchy as always, filled with pop harmonies stressed by a great vocals. Camber plays a different music, and their three songs are more focused on fusing dark guitars with melodies and post-hardcore/punk sensibility. “Dealt”, “I Could Not Care Less” - the best track by this band - and “Goodbye Mr.Spalding” show how this band really matured through their three albums on Deep Elm. The last band of the split is Seven Storey, and let me say Lance Lammers is an amazing songwriter: Seven Storey’s songs are pure guitar rock music, filled with indie cleverness and punk energy. “New Day” and “Covers” are two great songs that really show some tension between rock and pop. The split record is awesome to me, because it features three different bands, that play different music but have the same aim to still keep on rocking in the indie world.

Doghouse Records is truly releasing top quality music these days; after the Gameface new record, here is the new split cd between The Break and Let It Burn. Each band plays three tracks, the first songs are from The Break,and you just can hear all of the rock’n'roll energy of this band on such tracks as “We Live Without Sleep” and “I Name You Disaster”. Just like their 2002’s self-titled album, the songs are aggressive rockm with strong guitar riffs that really make you shake your heads ( at least this happened to me). Let Is Burn is a band that released a record called “Here’s To Goodbyes” on Coalition Records on 2002, and their three tracks are a combination of punk and 70’s-inspired rock, but more focused on the punk side, as on “I Believe In Love”, where the bass player reminds of Rancid’s Freeman. The vocals one of the most origianl things of this band, together with the hard guitar chords. The split album is a revelation if you never heard of these two bands, and I can personally say I found out how Let It Burn is a great band.

Creep Division and I Want Out are more of super bands than just your average group. Creep Division featuresh members of Good Riddance, Fury66, and Sick Of It All; after a debut on Indecision, the band is releasing this split album on Lorelei. Creep Division play six new tracks that show how they miss the good old hardcore of the 80’s, the one from Black Flag and the likes. Fast, pissed, featuring fast chords and also screams, “Circle Of Trust”, “So Fuck You”, “Waiting To Die” are perfect examples of how hardcore music was back in the 80’s, all played with a look over the present of course. Plus, the songs are really fast ( all less than 1:30 minute ) and this is even more enjoyable as it’s boring to hear to long hardcore tracks. I Want Out is a band made of members of Good Riddance ( Chuck Platt, who plays also in Creep Division ) and ex members of No Use For A Name and Hedgehog. Their music is more melodic, in the vein of All, Big Drill Car and Wretch Like Me, and tunes like “Broken Promises” and “Cut It” are real something I did not hear in a very long time.”Pull Up A Chair” is their best track ever, it’s really catchy and really with some So.Cal feeling that reminds me of 80’s skate punk bands.

The heaviest split album of this year must be this one between As I Lay Dying and American Tragedy, two of the best hardcore metal bands that play music these days, as it features some songs that you wouldn’t believe so hard if someone told you.

As I Lay Dying has just released a full length album entitled “Beneath the Encasing of Ashes”, and they are the first band: they play five great tracks combining elements of metal with extreme hardcore, yet without forgetting of melody: such songs as “The Beginnig” and “Forever” show it.While others songs as “Illusion” and “The Pain Of Separation” feature some guitar riffs that are some of the heaviest you could hear, with some very raw vocals and a good dose of screams I don’t want to miss. The second band is San Diego’s American Tragedy and they play six tracks of the best hardcore and metal you’ll get to hear these days, fusing the elements of the melodic parts of Shai Hulud with the fury of Zao all together.”Chocking On A Dream” left me without breathing, while “Porcelain Angels” is the best song from American Tragedy: it has two guitars doing different things, playing different solo riffs that together sound melodic yet aggressive.

Both As I Lay Dying and American Tragedy are two great hardcore bands and I encourage everyone to follow them and their music, it doesn’t happen often that you get to hear such great music on a single split album, and if a split is so powerful and good, imagine how their full length could be!|carlo@staff.truepunk.com

I’ve been waiting for this split since the first day I heard it had to come out. Alkaline Trio is a great band I totally love them, and 7Seconds, well, they do not need any presentation: Kevin Seconds is the singer of this germinal hardcore punk band and I think that not a lot of men in punk rock can say they did what Kevin did with his band. Skiba sings the first five songs, all acoustic, and I was really impressed by such tunes as “Good Fucking Bye” and “The City That Day”, even tough also “Next To You”, “In Your Wake” and the 7Seconds cover of “Soul to Keep” do not sound bad; of course it is weird to listen to a 7Seconds song sung by Matt Skiba. If you cannot figure out what Skiba sounds like when he plays alobe, try to imagine Alkaline Trio without electric guitars and a voice that is even more “emo”, even tough I don’t think Alkaline Trio is emo. The last five songs are sung by Kevin Seconds and again, it’s an all acoustic set. This time I have to say that it’s very very strange to listen to this guy singing like Bruce Springsteen: I mean, he plays an acoustic guitar and sings about how he was the man of Tracy or how he found letters from a girl of long time ago, which are not the common 7Seconds things. But in the end it’s a nice thing,I like his songs and his rock’n'roll attitude. If you think you like 7Seconds and/or Alkaline Trio and that’s a good reason to buy the cd, well forget it,this album has nothing to do with punk hardcore or emo music, it is an acoustic rock album, and I love it. Props to Asian Man for releasing this split, one of my favorite ever. >Carlo@staff.truepunk.com

Bouncing Souls and Anti Flag are two bands that I always enjoyed, even tough I might say I am a bigger fan of Anti Flag, I think the Souls are able to put up great and simple melodies at the same time, to create real anthems of fun, while Anti Flag are kind of more “serious” and political. Well, on this split album, the fourth in the series of B.Y.O. Records, I must say that I had good time with both bands. Every band on the split plays six songs and as far as I know of the discography of each band, I can say that the tunes are some of the best the bands every recorded. “Punks In Vegas” from the Souls starts the album, and it’s a melodic one, kind of different from the following “No Security”, a great hardcore anthem. “That’s Youth” is the best song from the Bouncing Souls, and it was written by Justin Sane from Anti Flag. The Souls also play two covers, “We’re Coming Back” by Cock Sparrer and “Less Than Free” by Sticks & Stones. Anti Flag plays their usual political influenced anthems, from “America Got It Right” to the awesome “Smash It To Pieces” and “Gifts From America: With Love, the USA”: all their songs are fast, melodic, yet with socially aware lyrics. “The Freaks, Nerds & Romantics” is instead a song written by the Souls and Anti Flag do a great job covering it. The last song by Anti Flag is a cover, “Ever Fallen In Love”, which I truly never heard before. In the end, I think this split is a great piece of work, and I think it is quite better that the Nofx/Rancid cover album, which I find boring right now.

Italy based Nh-N Records is one of the fastest growing record label out of Europe, and their new release is the split album between two of the finest Italian hardcore punk bands. For I Am Blind and Evolution So Far. Talking of the two bands, For I Am Blind plays a kind of hardcore music insipred by the likes of Good Riddance and Stretch Arm Strong, going thru a lot of melodic No Fun At All sound ’til some things that I can’t even compare to anything I heard in the past. “And Face My Delusions” is the first tune and brings out a lot of energic power, that goes on with “John Coffey”, even tough this one has a quite catchy chorus and good melodies. The melody is also present on some track as “Someday”, which is playfully described as “emo” by the band, not to mention the most “ear-friendly” tune named “Waits & Expectations”, the best tune from For I Am Blind for sure. If you look for speed you will find it on “Predefined Structures” and “Consider My Faults”: the first has great drum attacks, while the latter as a lot of stop&go’s, almost “old school” choruses and changes of time that show how the five dudes are good musicians as well. Talking of Evolution So Far, they are five folks that play hardcore music inspired by the likes of Strike Anywhere: the music is damn fast, pissed off and social aware: fast songs with clever lyrics is the recipe for Evolution So Far. Such songs as “Implosion”, “Greed, Cash And History” and “Outraged And Submitted” show how this band can play well hardcore music, and the fact that they are young doesn’t matter. Melodic music refined with lyrics that talk about social situtation find its place among other songs like “Framework Of Power” that made me think Evolution So Far is one of the finest hardcore band out of Italy today: they have attitude, political involvement and most important, they play good songs filled with raw vocals and screams, and harmonies. If you ever listen to “Springtime”, I bet you will not forget it soon. The production of Evolution So Far and For I Am Blind is near the perfection, and I truly believe hardcore music is getting out to be well known thanks to album like this and bands like For I Am Blind and Evolution So Far,and as the record label says, this split is the proof that even tough each band communicates different sensations, they both feel the same fire burning inside.For more info, head over www.nh-n.com. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

The idea had by the people at Jade Tree is very similar to the one of the guys at BYO Records: the split series are always a nice and good thing to start knowing new bands, maybe just because you buy the Split Album because it has a band you like. The first issue is a meeting of two of the most powerful hardcore bands in the United States:Good Riddance from the West Coast and Kill Your Idols from the East Coast.

The first four songs are from the Russ Runkin’s band and they totally rock. The first, “Judas & The Morning After Pill” is opened by some spoken words taken by a movie or something, and the song start very fast and furious. The melodic part of this hard working hardcore band comes after with tunes like “Queen & John” or “Grandstanding From the Cheap Seats”, who are very catchy and melodic, and they reminded me of the good times of “Ballads From the Revolution”. The last song from this Fat band is “Strickland vs Washington”, which is in the same vein of the latest “Sympthons of a Levelling Spirit”. The political involvement of Good Riddance can be seen also in these four songs , which were all out-takes from the latest album, and it’s easy to listen to this.

The latest three songs are from Kill Your Idols, and, even tough their latest record on Side One Dummy was damn good, I guess these three tunes where just leftovers, cuz “Chesterfield KIng and Propagandhi” is the one and only good song, while “I Told You So” and “Another Great Start to A Miserable Way” are nice but best to forget, but if you are hardcore fans of Kill Your Idols, I bet you will enjoy these tunes as well.

I said it again, Jade Tree is an awesome label and I am really glad they started this split series, and I cannot wait to listen to the next split albums, the one with The Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music and there are already rumors about a Sick Of It All/Dillinger Four thier issue.|carlo@staff.truepunk.com

If the first split album of this series was dedicated to hardcore, with bands like Good Riddance and Kill Your Idols, the second one take a step to softer music, call it the pop-punk or “emo” of the Alkaline Trio or the “post hardcore” or Hot Water Music, the two bands that headlined the lates “Plea For Peace” benefit tour. These two bands are both just great and I am sorry I started to discover them only with their latest releases, “From Here to Infirmary” of Alkaline Trio and “A Flight And A Crash” of How Water Music, and I believe the latter is one of the best band around today, not only in the punk/hardcore world, but in the whole musical world scene.

The first three of the seven unreleased songs come from the Chicago trio, and they totally prove they deserve the attention they are getting: songs like the soft and melancholy “Queen Of Pain” or “While You’re Waiting” are perfect mix of the trio’s rock edge and pop-punk influenced sound. The third one is “Rooftops” and it is a cover of and Hot Water Music song, re-done by the Trio in a very nice way.

Hot Water Music play four songs, two of their own, and two covers of Alkaline Trio: “God Deciding” and “Russian Roulette” keep on making me think about how much this Florida band rocks, mixing guitar rhythms, both slow and fast, great harmonies and very touching vocals, and although they are not the fastest band on earth, they sound great to my ears. “Radio” and “Bleeder”, the two following tunes, are covers of the Chicago band, and have also acoustic elements , which are always enjoying.

In the end, I believe this split album is not to be missed by any fan of music, from pop-punk to hardcore, both because it features seven great tunes, but especially because Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music are two of the best bands around nowadays.|carlo@staff.truepunk.com