Customer Reviews

Split

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There's been a lot of split CDs coming out lately. Some labels are just doing one here and there. Some are turning it into a series of releases trying to document the "scene." BYO is on their third, and Jade Tree is right behind them. Vagrant Records, not to be left out, is jumping right in the mix. Their first volume between the Anniversary and Superdrag is nothing short of spectacular. The first band completely reinvented themselves and the second band kept doing what they did best: rock. How does the second volume stack up?

Face To Face represents the Vagrant stable here with one original, one Dropkick Murphys cover, and one Stiff Little Fingers cover. The original, "Fight Or Flight," is your typical Face To Face -- anthematic with every passing second. the only thing is it gets a bit boring, as lately it seems like F2F is trying to make every song anthematic. Maybe it's just me. "Road Of The Righteous" is a cover of the Dropkick Murphys song, and it sounds passable, but there's nothing special about it. The SLF cover is pretty standard, too. Trever does do an amazing job of turning his voice into a perfect imitation of Social Distortion's Mike Ness on this track, however.

The Dropkick Murphys fire back with a Pogues-ish tale called "The Dirty Glass." The more I listen to this song the more it grows on me. With guest vocals from Kay Hanley, the track really shines. Following this is the band's cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic "Fortunate Son." I love this song, and DKM's straightforward version does it justice. I always thought that CCR had a bit of punk rock in them [John Fogerty is a crazy old man anyways], so the song definitely works. The last track on the EP is a cover of "21 Guitar Salute" by the Press. I've never heard of the Press, so I can't compare the two, but the song seems a bit flat to me. It doesn't like the band was too inspired to record it. I mean, it sounds okay, but there's just something missing.

My biggest complaint about the whole release is the over-production, especially on the F2F tracks. There is so much echo and reverb [on Trever's voice especially] it's ridiculous. The Dropkick tracks are pretty loud, too; Bad Religion's "New America" is in my CD changer after this disc and it sounds like it's a demo from a garage band.

I keep getting this nagging feeling like the only reason Vagrant put this out is to try and re-earn some "punk rock cred" due to the glut of emo-pop bands seemingly taking over their label. Frankly, I don't mind the emo-pop as long as they put out awesome split CDs [like volume 1, which isn't really even emo-pop]. But when you put uninspired punk rock out, you're not going to win anyone over. Hopefully volume 3 can bounce back from this temporary rut the series has found itself in.

I tracked down this EP mostly to hear Kay Hanley (formerly of "Letters to Cleo") on "Dirty Glass" but it's quickly become one of my favorites! This is quality punk. Just plain fun.

In small doses (as in this case) or large doses, DKM are a joy to listen to. They never fail to amaze, with their change-up delivery: "Dirty Glass" in this case... The other two songs are vintage rockin' rolickin' DKM fun, too! Face to Face were fine as well. Catch this album!

What more can I say than that this is one of the best releases of the year. I have waited and waited for this day for so long. First off Face to Face rips through their songs and they even do a great cover of the Dropkick Murphy's song "Road of the Righteous". The Murphys were awesome of course, especially "Dirty Glass". The storytelling on that one was wonderful and the back and forth male and female vocals set the tempo right along. All I could think about was having a glass of Guiness and watching the story unfold in my mind. Then, for even more pleasure is the cover of the Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son". Can I say that rocked out on that one. I would recommend this album to anyone, because you won't be dissapointed and you will be left wanting more.

This split is awesome! The Dropkick Murphys tracks are killer, especially the cover of Fortunate Son. The girl that sings with em on one track is so good ... aaahhh, this is punk rock heaven. The Face to Face tracks are good, too, but not as outstanding as DMs. However, they do a cover of a certain song by the Murphys, and it is great! Anyway, if you even like either of these bands remotely, shell out your hard earned money and get this!

I have yet to hear a punk band come out of the 90's with the quality of music this band has to offer. If you're sick and [tired of] the so called "punk" bands that have nothing to offer other than watered down n'sync [easy] pop than this is the band for you. face to face defines the true meaning of how punk should sound. Lead singer Trevor Keith takes great pride in writing, recording, and performing his songs the way he wants them to sound never tolerating "advice" from big wig record company executives on how they think it should sound to sell millions of copies. I have a large cd collection (over 2000) and have been exposed to a hell of a lot of bands. face to face has remained my favorite new punk band since the first time I heard them back in 1993. This cd has made me love them just that much more. Keep rockin' fellas.

I was stoked for this to come out but am slightly disappointed with it.

Face to Face's covers are almost identical to the original versions. I don't know why they would bother to cover DKM's Road of The Righteous or Stiff Little Fingers' Wasted Life if they would simply produce a carbon copy of the originals.
That said, their new track, Fight or Flight, is pretty good and deviates a bit from trad F2F style.

I'm a little disappointed with DKM's original, The Dirty Glass. This is about a relationship gone bad and has vocals trading off primarily between Ken (I'm pretty sure) and a chick singer (Kay Hanley). For a better track with exactly the same idea, check out Wish Me Well (You Can Go To Hell) by the Bouncing Souls.

DKM's cover trax are stellar. They cover Fortunate Son by some hippie band, and 21 Guitar Salute by The Press (Oi!Oi!).

For what you get and what you pay, I gave this three stars. If it was cheaper, I would have hooked it up with four stars.

I'll save my money for the next full length DKM release.

I don't see the point of Face To Face releasing this. One new song that is on the new record and two covers. Face To Face are not sounding as good as they do on the new album and the drop kick murphey's are sounding as bad as ever. They only highlight of this album is the drop kick song with the girl singing and that wears it appeal after a few listens.