AFICIONADO – S/T (No Sleep): There are seven full-time members to AFICIONADO. Which makes me wonder (in a Sam Kinison voice) – why do they sound so sparse?!? It’s actually a gift of AFICIONADO, and a pleasant path of progression from their 2010 EP When It Comes To Creation (then an eight-piece…) that their debut full-length runs so smooth. Caught in the broad outlines of indie rock, emo, progressive rock, and “hella PIEBALD” (brand new genre, look it up), the band gently greases the gears of the rhythm section to run with amiable grace and restraint. The PIEBALD influence is hard to miss, particularly when that band’s vocalist Travis Shettel makes an unmistakably recognizable guest appearance. Color that blueprint with hints of CURSIVE and the underrated SHERWOOD, and that’s where this self-titled full-length makes its memorable mark.

COUNTERPUNCH – Dying to Exonerate The World (Go-Kart): I analyze COUNTERPUNCH on two levels; the first clouded by my affinity for everything that’s mid-90s melodicore, and the second being how the band would rank on a stand-alone level during that time period. On the whole, Dying is solid slab of sort-of-too-long songs that stoke my warm spot for forbidden-beat drumming, searing, racing guitars, and milemarkers of NOFX, STRUNG OUT, and generally, the Theologian Records roster circa 1998. Individually, there are no divots to COUNTERPUNCH – the vocals are hearty and tuneful, but on the plain side (c.f., THE SWELLERS), and the rhythm section takes charge in a huff. But if this was in fact the mid-90s, COUNTERPUNCH would be the kind of band you’d find on one of the flippity-billion cheapo CD compilations that featured bands on lesser labels, all striving for an eventual Warped Tour date. Think of Fearless’ WHITE KAPS (peaks of glory, mostly average), or a less-hooky, post-Rev TEN FOOT POLE. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

BOYS NO GOOD – Never Felt Better (Indianola): I’ve been doing a disservice to the wording “three quick reviews”, so here’s something a little more compact: Never Felt Better is a steady mix of pop-punk and hardcore with a gruff side. It’s what you’d get if you peeled away the sheen from FOUR YEAR STRONG or found a musically cruder THE WONDER YEARS and stuck ‘em in a smoke-encrusted bar on the wrong side of town (plus added, non-offending mosh parts). Bonus points for a great recording that leaps out with bounce and vibrancy without coming across as full of fakery.