16 + The American Psycho Band - Split

Label: No Lie
Year: 1994

First off, Happy Birthday America. U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!
Second, split 7"s are the best aren't they? A quick burst from a band that you like, for whom you purchased the record to begin with, then a surprise hit or miss from a band you've maybe heard of but never actually heard on the flip side. Certainly that was the case for this funky lil platter (big ups to Spazz) which I grabbed for the 16 track, a band that has yet to fail me in the misanthropic-sludge-hate-pounding department, and a band that took a sawed off shotgun approach to releasing records during their fertile 1992-1994 period, scattering their output across five or so different labels. It was a challenge even back then to track down all their myriad Pushead/Bacteria Sour/Pessimiser/Standard/Reverb etc. 7"s to fashion a complete set of 16 trading cards.
The "unknown" band to me on this record was The American Psycho Band, who hailed from Austin, Texas (along with 5000 other great bands at the time), and who's one song here blew me away, thus completing the "Split 7" Perfect Storm", that is, buying a record for a band you like, but then being pleasantly surprised by the unknown band sharing the record. The American Psycho band were a thicker Swiz, mixed with a burlier Quicksand, they managed to deliver rolling waves of heavy post hardcore that could hold up to the 16 track, but had it's own character.
I think that if you're lighting off Roman Candles this evening to celebrate the American victory over the French (or whoever), who tried to steal our tea (or something), this two song 7" will go great with the Freedom Fries and the smell of burning hair (which you will inevitably catch fire to while launching your d.i.y. pyrotechnics). Enjoy!

DL