A.N.S/SeasickWhat a strange split. Definitely wouldn't have guessed the next release that Seasick would be on would be a split with a band of party happy skaters. But hey it's new Seasick material so I sure as hell ain't complaining.
This split 7" pairs Seasick up with A.N.S a band based out of Denton, TX which isn't too far from Dallas. They play old school hardcore with some skate hardcore/thrash going on, not completely different from a band like Common Enemy. They contribute three songs their side and for the most part their efforts aren't too shabby. The first two songs "What Would Bomer Do" and "Paging Dr. Chiba" blaze by in a blink on an eye and while they have their thrashy moments they aren't nearly as noticeable as they are in their final song, "Circle The Drain". All three songs were good but I enjoyed "Circle The Drain" the most. My biggest complaint about their side is their recording. The vocals were a bit too low for my liking and the guitar tone was lacking. Not too bad though...
NJ's Seasick have also contributed three songs to the split and their new material shows the band heading in a slightly different direction than their last EP, "Awakenings". It seems they have stripped down their song writing a bit by eliminating the awesome melodies that they expertly incorporated into their writing the previous time around. Now it seems they are more focused on hitting the listener off with pure aggression via the use of brief and hard hitting mid paced breaks. The one thing that hasn't changed, however, is the uncompromising lyrics. "Introspection", the EP's opening track is about how punk has become too materialistic and shallow. The second track "Veritistic Value" is about how we shouldn't trust cops and how laws were/are "...derived from politics and not our ethics." The last song "Setting The Straw Man Ablaze" seems to be about how some front men don't have conviction behind their words.
Loving the nostalgic feeling of this one's layout. The layout is printed on thin cardboard with a trippy ass front cover that has a tattered teddy bear placed over a spiraling grey/black background. The incorporation of both band names into one was a nice little touch. The little lyric sheet that accompanies the record seems to have been screen printed. Seasick's side looks nice and is fairly easy to read but I can't say the same for A.N.S' side, the shit is pretty much impossible to read without a fucking magnifying glass, shit was really sloppily thrown together. The old school layout does bring a modern treat; included with every 7" is a free digital download for those of you without a record player. Sadly, I had no idea how to redeem my shit but luckily it also says for questions just email Brain Drain.
Rating: 3.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: "Circle The Drain" (A.N.S) & "Intro(spection)" (Seasick)
Synopsis: A.N.S was pretty good but I wouldn't listen to them with any regularity. Seasick may have changed their sound a bit but they still delivered the goods. The price of admission for this is $4 and it comes with that free digital download so whether you're a fan of one band or both it's definitely worth the ticket price.
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