I neither fully detest nor truly adore the Black Halos. On balance, I suppose they’re pretty decent. They remind me of the bands whose records would turn up in the bin labeled PUNK AND NEW MUSIC—NEW ARRIVALS when I was a college radio DJ at the end of the ’80s. One’d grab a few records out of there if they looked halfway viable, spin a few cuts out of curiosity just to see what was up, and that would usually be that. They’re sort of in that zone where punkish background meets melodic leanings and hard rock aspirations—on one side of the equation is their record collection, on the other are hair stylists and stage lighting. Serviceable enough tunes, to be sure, but do you grab the record out of the bin again next week? Maybe, maybe not. I find this record commendable for its inclusion of a Birdland cover (the Aussie band, not the thing with Lester Bangs), who were the same kinda band (albeit more early ’90s than late ’80s), but good enough at it to be noteworthy. Black Halos aren’t as good as Birdland, but they’re better than the Doughboys. Boy, there’s a fuckin’ resume builder. BEST SONG: The Birdland cover. BEST SONG TITLE: “Uncommonwealth,” because it reminds me of Keebler cookies. FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: This 7” was shrink-wrapped, which I always find odd and mildly off-putting. –Rev. Nørb (Cursed Blessings, cursedblessingrecords.com)