Review / 200 Words Or Less
O Pioneers!!! / The Anchor
Split

Triumph of Life (2008) Michael

O Pioneers!!! / The Anchor – Split cover artwork
O Pioneers!!! / The Anchor – Split — Triumph of Life, 2008

The great state of Texas offers up two songs a piece from O Pioneers!!! and The Anchor. In the works for over a year, this split 7" is finally available to all who boast a beard!

O Pioneers!!! offers up two cuts of dirty punk that will appeal to anyone who loves Asian Man and No Idea Records. I've had countless people suggest this band to me in the past, but I just can't get into their recordings. I will admit these songs are better than what I've heard before; a quicker pace suits them well.

The Anchor is less punk and delves into a slight melodic hardcore style with their two songs. I get a definite Long Island sound as I listen to their tunes - particularly in the vocals, which bring to mind Silent Majority's Tommy Corrigan.

Of the two, I enjoyed The Anchor more so; I am definitely looking forward to more from them. On the other hand, the jury is still out on O Pioneers!!! for me.

6.0 / 10Michael • October 14, 2008

O Pioneers!!! / The Anchor – Split cover artwork
O Pioneers!!! / The Anchor – Split — Triumph of Life, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Physicalist

Self Titled
Dirt Cult (2026)

F.Y.P is one of the rare bands that I'd say nobody sounds like -- but in the past two months I've caught myself making that comparison twice. First while listening to the new Dumpies LP (spoiler alert: they cover F.Y.P on that same record) and now as I listen to the Physicalist debut EP. The interesting thing here isn't the … Read more

Dylan Thomas

Todo se desvanece
Burnt Toast Vinyl (2026)

When bands spend months slowly piecing together an album with cheap gear, limited time, and apparently an alarming amount of terrible beer, it’s kind of romantic. Not romantic in the polished indie film sense. More romantic in the sense that you can actually hear people chasing a feeling before life pulls them in different directions. That tension sits at the … Read more

Adam Steiner

Darker with the Dawn: Nick Cave's Songs of Love and Death
Rowman & Littlefield (2023)

Adam Steiner doesn’t just break the earth with a spade with this book; he actually digs deep into the fertile soil to enter the cobwebbed crypt. He approaches the catalogue like a forensic scientist examining the maggots on a corpse—meticulously analyzing the rot and the details of decay to chart exactly how long the body has been decomposing. He gets … Read more