While a good number of music critics place appreciable emphasis on a band’s originality, there are some cases where such considerations are rendered pointless. Chicago’s Thirteen And A Half present such a scenario, as their retro leanings and back to the roots sound necessarily resemble that of the hardcore scene’s pioneers.

Based on the background info I’ve been able to dig up, it seems that frontman Mike Repel is rather content with the oldschool tag; a fact which is readily apparent throughout the four songs on this demo. I was actually somewhat surprised to find myself enjoying much of this disc, as my interest in the hardcore scene all but died out in the early 90’s. But upon further examination, I realized that Thirteen And A Half’s appeal is largely in their ability to shun the modern sound of those bands/lemmings who presently share the same space and march to their own beat.

Sure, these songs contain many references (intentional or otherwise) to the New York hardcore scene of the early eighties. The riffs and vocals all contain bits and pieces of Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, and Killing Time, and such similarities are probably a little more obvious than was intended. But when you consider the vast number of bands who try to get past these prototypical icons and slide right into the stomp-core/tough guy style of Bury Your Dead or Throwdown (with results that are painfully unmemorable), you start to gain a newfound respect for Thirteen And A Half and the fitting tribute they offer to the bands who were doing it back in the day.

Check out http://www.thirteenandahalf.com for more info, and a couple of free downloads.

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