Avail
One Wrench
Fat Wreck Chords
Avail is a popular punk band, which is very often the kiss of death, as far as I’m concerned (examples like NOFX, Pennywise, etc. immediately spring to mind), but I am happy to report that One Wrench is an exception to the rule. Unlike those more popular bands, Avail is a hardcore band that incorporates some melodicism, rather than a pop punk band that incorporates some hardcore elements. The result doesn’t sound slick even with good production, and just when you think that the shouty vocals might get annoying, they put in an anthemic sing-along type part that sucks you back in. While I’m not really a fan of the “non-rhyming poetry set to music” school of lyric writing on display here, still I can tell when someone does a good job of it, and Avail does.
Fat Wreck Chords, P.O. Box 193690, San Francisco, CA 94119-3690; http://www.fatwreck.com
