It's hard to imagine that this record came out of a guy in Space Needle. When I think of those guys, I think of pulsing walls, confederate generals and melting guitars, but when the latest Varnaline disc is on, it's something totally different. Like Uncle Tupelo, with a capital Lo-Fi.

The record kicks off its thirty-five minute rock smorgasboard with "The Hammer Goes Down". When I first read the title, I prayed it wouldn't be about a has-been rap star hustling blow jobs on Lake and Hennepin. But I had no need to worry. It's just rock the way it always meant to be. And while it's not the best track on the record, it's certainly no mild achievement. I could list this CD by tracks and go into depth about how nice each one is, but instead, I'm just going to say, it kicks like mom's homemade french fries.

-Ryan Schreiber