Off With Their Heads/No Friends split 6"

Possibly released to commemorate their recent tour dates together, this split 6" pairs Twin Cities' juggernaut Off With Their Heads with Richmond Orlando axis powers No Friends. One cover from each band. One might be able to figure out from the cover art that Pegboy and Dag Nasty are the honorees. Two guesses how that splits up. Good showings from both parties, but I'll give the crown to OWTH by a hair. This is all around a good time so posi up and buy it here from No Idea.

R

Strike Anywhere - Iron Front

Finally, we get the full-length version of Iron Front. The EP of the same name showed potential, but as a fleshed out record, Iron Front is pretty badass. There is still a large amount of Dag Nastification going on with the proceedings, but it appears to be coming from the right place, and you really can't front on the DN, can you? I would like to think not.

Tracks like South Central Beach Party and I'm Your Opposite Number are as a good as the best Strike Anywhere material. SA may be guilty of writing the same song more than once, but at the end of the day, it's a good song, so if you like Strike Anywhere Iron Cross will have you posi-d up like nobody's business. Bridge Nine must be stoked as hell to have this record. Strike Anywhere should, too. They have hooks for days here, and while I think the production is a little much, nothing can disguise the sheer finger-pointability of most if not all of the songs on Iron Front. Buy it from the Vagrant of Hardcore here starting tomorrow. There's a pre-order thing I think you can still get in on, too. Strike Anywhere are in the Northeast, so you'd do well to check them out. Keep track of these subversives here.

R

Strike Anywhere - Iron Front EP

It's been a bit since Strike Anywhere released a record. Frankly, it's been even longer since I gave a shit. I love a fingerpoint as much as the next asshole, but SA got more than a little formulaic over their last couple records. They seemed neck and neck with Anti-Flag for the knee-jerk politic championship, which I might have been able to deal with had the songs not gotten a wee bit boring. I'm not sure whether they are still signed to Fat Wreck, but Strike Anywhere are exactly the kind of band you would expect to be the political band on their roster. Pop on over to their wiki and check the picture of them playing the improbably named "with justice we can cure this nation" fest in Japan. Opening for Rise Against, no doubt.

For this four song digital EP, Strike Anywhere have hashed out some affiliation with Bridge Nine. It certainly isn't going to trump the new Paint It Black EPs on my personal listening schedule, but Iron Front is a lot better than I thought it would be. It sounds no different from any other Strike Anywhere (read: Can I Say era Dag Nasty) song, so if you've been a fan previously, you may very well be stoked that Iron Front is available for purchase here. Legions of middle-class white kids will no doubt throw off the fetters of their parental homes and shout along with tracks like orphan age and hand of glory at Houses Of Blues all across this great nation of ours. If this is your cup of free-trade tea, dash on over to Bridge Nine and pick up Iron Front.

R