Splitting Headache

Right down to the gross-out comic book-style album cover, the second full album by Down to Nothing strongly recalls the early-'80s heyday of D.I.Y. street punk. At 11 songs that only rarely break the two-minute barrier, Splitting Headache is all shouted vocals, massed guitar riffs, righteously sloppy cymbal-heavy drumming, and lots and lots of good old-fashioned swearing. It's a mess, but it's an energetic mess, one that will leave the receptive listener aching for a little cathartic slam dancing by the end of it. Particular attention must be paid to the outstanding "Us v. Eachother," one of the best old-school punk songs of the year. As punk evolves through each successive generation of teenagers, mutations are accepted and elaborated upon to such an extent that the punk rock of 2005 only rarely sounds like the punk rock of 1981, and the punk of 1976 sounds like classic rock in comparison. Splitting Headache, however, is proof that there are certain punk verities that will never go out of style.