Reviews

Two Chicago bands playing old-school punk rock in a split named to take a rip at trendy radio punk a la Good Charlotte and music filled with unrest should be a formula for success, and for the most part it is.

Lake County, Illinois' Rule 22 opens the first half, while Chicago's She Likes Todd takes the rear. Both offer five tracks, mostly politically and socially charged, with a few audio clip quote interludes.

Rule 22 has tightened its sound so much since Soundtrack to the End of the World. The songs are fast, aggressive and coarse throughout. Only on portions of the band's last track, "Down and Out," do they stop for a breath. It makes for great pit punk with lyrics that are well-written. These five tracks will leave fans wanting more Rule 22.

She Likes Todd offers a tad softer, melodic punk sound with more harmony. The heavy quasi-metal riffs of Falling Much Too Fast are less prevalent this time around, and while the production quality is better than the earlier effort, the bass-heavy sound, especially on the split's opening track, "My New Best Friend," feels sluggish following Rule 22.

Todd's vocals also seem less pronounced than on Falling Much Too Fast. Overall, lyrics on She Likes Todd's half match the same feeling of political and social turmoil of Rule 22's, but the music doesn't bring the same tone. She Likes Todd's songwriting also is not as interesting as on the band's previous effort.

Overall, it's a pretty good split. However, the bands are almost too similar for this to work. The splits between Big D and the Kid's Table and Brain Failure, and Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music, were nearly perfect because, in each case, they had a commonality of genres and fan bases but sounds diverse enough to bring something original to each half. Rule 22 and She Likes Todd don't achieve that dynamic, and the former stepped up its game while the latter slipped back a little. Still, both Rule 22 and She Likes Todd are quality punk bands, and fans should dig the new offerings by their favorite band and that band's counterpart.