On the back cover photo of Always A Pleasure, the guys from Compound Red are wearing five- in- a- pack white undershirts. Add that to the sign- above- the- door- of- a- greasy- spoon- diner title, and the fact that Compound Red are strictly all about serving up the rock sans pretention and flash comes across loud and clear. A blue- collar emo band from Wisconsin, Compound Red use their guitars like Blue Angels jets, writing "Rawk" in huge, puffy jet- streaks across empty blue skies. Part shoegazing, part ceiling gazing. Whispers scream. Amps spew like rockets. Bass shouts like boosters. Drums snap tighter than peanut butter jar lids in the cupboards of ESPN's World's Strongest Man Contest's winner.

My college organic chemistry lab was decorated in primary colors. Pipes and spigots were painted bright red, blue, yellow, and green to prevent kids from washing their hands in acetone. The red spigots designated the gas lines-- pure flammable gas. Compound Red, with their chemistry- esque band name, brings those very spigots to mind. Taps to instant fire and energy. An album both pretty and crushing, Always a Pleasure documents the band and producer J. Robbins at the top of their game.

-Brent DiCrescenzo