Rivalry Records may as well have titled their split release between Go It Alone and Blue Monday The Reserve 34 Awareness Project.

I say this because while GIA's original contributions "Ovaltine" and "West Boulevard" and BM's "Maplewood" and "Cathedral Square" are all quite solid, enjoyable old-school hardcore jams, they're really not all that memorable. What really piques my interest are the band's respective covers of defunct Vancouver act Reserve 34. GIA do "Daylight" and BM tackle "Rum Tum Tugger," and both seem to hint at a band that had a rough melodic edge that wasn't too glossy, a sincere ambition brought to fruition by creative guitar work and dynamic structures.

After reading up on Reserve 34 and discovering they've influenced the likes of the bands on this split as well as other Northwest area torchbearers like Champion and Shook Ones, the appeal is even greater. So while I really can't remember much of what I listened to after every 11-minute spin of the release, I think its aim hit the mark wonderfully, as I'll likely be checking out Reserve 34's recently issued discography CD soon (released merely days after the split, actually...hmm...). Those charged, energized and creative songs are promising a new favorite I should've checked out well earlier. This little teaser really does have me excited on a followup -- just in an unusual way.

Go It Alone - Ovaltine
Blue Monday - Cathedral Square