:: From The Ashes (2-CD set with DVD)

Pennywise

I used to drink coffee; South America’s other cash crop. I used to drink eight cups a day and believe I was leading a fulfilling life. That was before I heard Pennywise. Now I choose speed. I shoot it up as many times as I can a day, looking for something to compare to the intensity of their music. After their latest, “From The Ashes”, I started shooting down the vein, into the flow of blood. I’m not sure if I can keep up, though. As the official background music for the revolution, Pennywise never back down, driving towards an interminable end in their songs. And unlike so many of their punk contemporaries, you can listen to Pennywise. This, their seventh album, is a humming, driving collection of songs that builds on everything they have done before. I think it is one of the best punk albums you can buy these days. Oh, and it comes with a DVD with interviews, studio rehearsals and live performances. All that for the price of two whole turkeys at Safeway.