While not necessarily the most appropriate pairing, O Pioneers!!! and By the End of Tonight have teamed for a split 7" courtesy of Team Science Records.

Since releasing their first album in 2003, By the End of Tonight have had a fairly prolific career with a whole slew of full-lengths and EPs, many of which are out pf print. The band, who are instrumental, straddle a fine line between post-punk and math-core, much like a cross between .moneen. and North of America. Compared to O Pioneers!!!, By the End of Tonight come across extremely tight and crisp in their sound. While they can certainly write a tune, it's not really what I look for in an instrumental band -- but then again, I'm an ignorant slob. It's a little too heavy to keep as background music, but also too abstract at times to keep me focused. There are people out there who will love it, though.

O Pioneers!!!'s first album turned me into a fan of the band. Their loud and rough style seemed all the more loud and all the more rough when coming from only two people. The song they offer on the B side of this split lacks any comedic undertones or optimistic outlook that you can usually count on the band for, if only in their song titles. While it's perfectly fine for a band to write about relationships gone wrong as much as they please, it's always a little disappointing to see a band tackle such subject matter when they are so obviously capable of -- at the very least -- more interesting material. That said, the band can still write a sold song. "I-10" doesn't throw any curveballs as far as what to expect musically. Eric Solomon's vocals are loud, sloppy and a little angry while the wall of sound created by him and drummer Jeff Johnson is a solid, if only slightly confusing composition.

Paula Abdul said opposites attract. You should listen to her more often.