Ten years on and Rocket From The Crypt can still pull off its punkish blend of R&B and fifties rock and roll without sounding like it’s too far passed its expiration date. I doubt the same will be said of The Get Up Kids in a few years, however. Already, the band's sentimental pop punk is wearing thin. The pairing on this split 7" puzzles me to no end. Is it a marketing scheme trying to attract the old school indie rock crowd while still appealing to the young emo kids, or just a bad judgment call by Vagrant Records? One good thing I can say is that the packaging is first-rate. As for the music…

Rocket From The Crypt has top billing despite the overwhelming popularity of The Get Up Kids right now. Seniority, I guess. I can't really see the crowd that goes for The Get Up Kids ever flipping the record over to listen to Rocket From The Crypt, but they should because "Free Language Demons" destroys "Up On The Roof." John Reis' gravelly snarl mixes well with his trademarked power chord assault. I'd forgotten how good the horn section sounds over top the noisy stop/start punk. This is the best Rocket from The Crypt song I've heard in years, or has it just been years since I've heard a Rocket From The Crypt song? Either way- it's a good one.

I can't get over just how manipulative The Get Up Kids sound with those bratty and slightly angst-ridden vocals that have just enough gruff not to sound too cheesy for the poser punk kids. The happy go lucky sing along chorus, the harmonies, and the Superchunk-lite musical foundation all add up to a bad stomachache for me. And then there are the lyrics: "Just know I wouldn't hate you if you/try you might- decide to fight/try you might- decide it's right/is this everything you thought it'd be/waited for religiously/you know I wouldn't trade you for the world." Don't succumb- this is bad music. Some people call it emo- I call it sucky.