Tenement: Let’s hear it for some bands that chose punk, as in, “Dude, you’re way too talented. Are you going to waste it in a shitty punk band? You could be the next Johnny Cougar (or modern day equivalent that I happily remain ignorant of).” I’m just glad to have Tenement on the DIY punk team, much like the dearly departed Carrie Nations and the dearly here The Bananas. At the core is fuckin’ awesome songwriting, but it works even better when played at higher voltage and with plenty of amperage. Tenement is a go. Friendly Fire: Really like Dag Nasty and Hot Water Music. The good news is they picked up on Wig Out at Denko’s and Fuel for the Hate Game and not Field Day and The New What’s Next. So, it’s almost-breathless, ultra-posi, clean-and-tight East Coast punk rock with some extra atmosphere that’s easy to sing along to. Not bad.
–todd (Forcefield, forcefieldrecords.org)