Andrew Jackson Jihad/Partners in 818

It's not uncommon for a rock group to feature guest spots, rotating personnel, or additional instruments. Add a guitarist here, substitute a vocalist there, mic that kit a bit differently, and the textures change. Usually, the band retains their foundational elements. Not so when the Andrew Jackson Jihad includes a drummer and plugs in its acoustic repertoire of guitar and bass. The first time we put needle to vinyl on this seven-inch, we nearly flipped the record, thinking we'd made a grave turntable error. Then Sean Bonnette's vocal pyrotechnics fell into the '80s garage band soundscape, which works perfectly for the three tunes on the A-side, and we were shocked. But, dang, they still sounded kickass. Because of the electricity, the Phoenix-based band comes off more pissed-off, especially on the one AJJ original "Deep Dark Basement," with the lyrics, "You punched my mother in the mouth/We fled to shelter safe and pure/But now I never feel at home/I will never be secure/Oh, to be secure." Prescott trio Partners in 818 represent the B-side with three more traditional punk-centric tunes. The record, which features two-color cover art of downtown Phoenix's construction scenes by Djentrification, is a limited, 300-copy release, so cop it while you can.