You will hard-pressed to find a meat-and-potatoes post-punk disc that is as solidly enjoyable as this.

Seven Storey Mountain is mighty straightforward; there is nothing complicated—no hoops and rings, and nary a dog nor pony to be found. At the Poles is a fucking rock record. A rock disc for grumpy old men in their 30s—who found their anchor in Scratch Acid, Dazzling Killmen, Big Black, and the bands formed in their wake—plus a little bit of Foo Fighters, as well. Written, performed, and produced by Phoenix, Ariz.'s Lance Lammers, At the Poles packs one hell of wallop. Lammers fires through 10 tracks in just over 30 minutes. It is only on "Tunnel Vision," ATP's final track, when the record slows to something resembling a slow cadence. However, before the disc reaches this point, there are nine tracks that are nothing short of stellar. You will hard-pressed to find a meat-and-potatoes post-punk disc that is as solidly enjoyable as this. A | David Lichius