ALL & DESCENDENTS / Live Plus One (2001)

I’m going to make a list of the most nerdy comparisons to this that I can muster. It’s like:

• Human Centipede 3: Alternate Universe Heiter AND Martin
• Mega Man Powered Up: Mega Man AND Proto Man AND Roll
• If Resident Evil 6 was delivered as intended: Chris AND Leon co-op!!!

It’s Chad and Milo together at the same concert, and Milo sings back-up for Chad!!! Don’t worry, though, this is two discs and the second is an entire Descendents set. Wikipedia tells me the latter was a different concert. Whatever, man~ Milo even tries his hand at one of Chad’s songs, to great effect. I can’t hype this enough: Chad sings She’s My Ex!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfection.

Songs of Note: She's My Ex; Original Me

5 Floors Strong Enough to Bear the Weight of Greatness out of 5

ALL / Mass Nerder (1998)

Most folks will know the majority of this band from their other incarnation: the Descendents. Regardless of who's in the driver's seat, Bill Stevenson is omnipresent musically and with his incredibly poignant and pointed lyrics. The era of ALL that owns my heart is without question Chad Price's. He's a quintessential vocalist and his songs are some of the most eloquent and moving I've ever heard.

This ping-pongs between hyper-brief blasts and more melodic romps. The band's strength (both as ALL and the Descendents) is that the former aren't always silly and instead often use their abbreviated run times to address things undeniably worth pondering. They've always been both thoughtful and heartfelt and if you aren't familiar with both incarnations, you're doing yourself a disservice.

Songs of Note: Until I Say So; Silly Me

5 Albums That Actually Know How To Make the Most of Thirty Minutes out of 5