On the flipside, of course, was Crimes, the 2004 follow-up to Piano Island. Where the latter thrashed about with the raw, fuck-all attitude of a talented band on the brink, the former wallowed in the praise showered upon its predecessor, ultimately offering only a few tracks worthy of repeated listens.

It is with much relief, then, that a band that's showed such continual promise in the past proves it can once again produce an album that plays to its talents. Namely, blistering, ragged punk rock, turned up loud enough to make Spinal Tap proud. Helmed by Crimes producer Ð whose past work also includes Sleater-Kinney and Blonde Redhead Ð John Goodmanson and Fugazi's Guy Picciotto, Young Machetes is just that welcome return to form.

And yet, despite the fact that it overstays its welcome a bit by album's end, the Blood Bros.' fifth proper full-length succeeds in ways Crimes attempted to, but failed. Slower passages affect listeners instead of lying stagnant and interrupting the flow of a song ("Camouflage, Camouflage"), shit-hot barnstormers keep things truly interesting ("Set Fire to the Face On Fire"), and refreshing keyboard antics abide throughout ("Laser Life," "Spit Shine Your Black Clouds").

In short, Young Machetes is probably very much the kind of album V2 would've preferred having the Brothers make their label debut with. But the past is the past, and we're left with these songs that just so happen to do an excellent job of smearing together the grime of Piano Island with the sheen of Crimes. Here's to raising a glass to whatever's next.

-Austin L. Ray

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