I have to admit I was late to the AOF party. I had become a Vic Bondi fan after catching a couple Report Suspicious Activity shows a few years back. Then I went and chowed down on his back catalog, enjoying both Jones Very and Alloy. But I was lucky enough to catch both of AOF’s reunion shows in Chicago this fall. In a word—intense. But in addition to doing those shows, they have also put out a new five-song EP, their first new music in many moons. Every song on this record will put hair on your chest. Sorry ladies—no Nair included with the LP. With song titles like “With a Vengeance” and “The Hammer” what do you expect? No one in the band has lost their chops. This flies by with unbridled fury in fifteen minutes. Recorded by Jeff Dean (The Bomb) and mixed by J. Robbins (Office Of Future Plans), the production is rock solid without sounding too slick. Excellent return to form by these Chicago pioneers. Seek this out and thank me later.
–koepenick (Alternative Tentacles)