Brokedowns / Wide Angles - Split 7"

Brokedowns / Wide Angles - Split 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Cassette Deck (2012)

As 2014 has been pretty slow with new releases so far, I've been able to tackle a lot of the backlog that's been building up over the last few months. This 7" goes all the way back to my September trip to Chicago.

The Brokedowns are kind of your run of the mill gritty vocal punk band. Nothing really all that special, but certainly better than a lot of bands as well. Their first song is loud, fast, angry and short. There's not much time for it to really develop into anything. The 2nd & 3rd songs are called "Beast Resources IV" and "Beast Resources V." As the names would lead you to suspect, they are kind of linked together. They are both significantly more dynamic than the first song, though there still is quite a bit of shouting going on in the chorus of "IV." "Beast Resources V" is probably the best song on their side of this 7", in large part because The Brokedowns slow things down a bit.

Wide Angles are one of the better bands I've heard over the last few years. Their other 7"s and especially their full length, Smile More, are just essential. The songs on this split are just as good as anything else they released during their short time together. Significantly more melodic than The Brokedowns, Wide Angles really understand how to craft an energetic, serious punk rock song. With this seriousness, the still manage to cram tons of hooks into their songs. A great band that I truly wish hadn't decided to split up.

Wide Angles - "Painted In":
wideangles.bandcamp.com/album/wide-angles-brokedowns-spli...