Reviewing a 2-song release is almost pointless. I mean, it's two songs. That's it. In Ipanema's case, it's six minutes and 20 seconds of my time gone before the CD starts over again. Not much time to make a lasting impression, or to even show how strong of a band you might be.

Yet somehow, this English power trio overcomes these odds and really delivers here with their two song CD-single/7". The first song, "Je Sui Un Baseball Bat," is a rough-and-tumble melodic punk extravaganza with powerfully sung vocals courtesy of Wiz [ex-Doughboys/Mega City 4]. There's some definite moodiness in his voice as he croons "I am a baseball bat he says / I am splinter in your head." Think of Husker Du, only intelligible.

Track 2 [or the B-side, depending on which format you've chosen to purchase] is titled "Skull," and is pure poppy goodness right out of the gate, with the repeated chorus of "She's in my skull" pummeled into your head with the power of a baseball bat [well look at that, a reference to a previous song title - damn, I'm good]. From a songwriting standpoint, it's not as strong as the first track, but is still a fun pogo nonetheless.

It's tough to give this release anything higher than a 6, as personally I believe that anything given a 7 or above should be purchased at the reader's earliest convenience. It's hard to justify spending five dollars for two songs, no matter who the band, which is why this is only getting a 6. If you have an extra fivespot lying around, however, and have a hankering for good, original alt-punk, you could do far, far worse than Ipanema.

MP3
Skull [clip]