Editors' Picks: Test Icicles / One Reason

Brian: The U.K.'s Test Icicles bring a spastic dancefloor vibe to the table on their new album, For Screening Purposes Only, released on Halloween. But it's more in a Bullet Train to Vegas sense with the screeching, jagged instruments and nods to both the Blood Brothers and Q and Not U. Test are certainly stripped of the At the Drive-In influence however, less "rock"-dependent and usually opting for trebly, stomping guitar riff tradeoffs, diving bass lines and propulsive rhythms. Special thanks to Marlon for tipping me off. Here's a few tracks from the record, taken from their Myspace page:

Test Icicles - Boa vs. Python
Test Icicles - Circle Square Triangle
Justin: I didn't even know there was a Cleveland in Mississippi before this band. One Reason play a mix of punk and post hardcore that's brutally honest, and they're not afraid to bare everything in their songs, crafting stories and messages through honest lyrics, without tripping over metaphors on the way there. Their LP All Rivers Run South, All Roads Lead Home has some misses on it, but tracks like The Black and the Red and Song We Sing have that special something. Their newest release, a split with Defiance, Ohio shows that they're growing and expanding their sound to include more driving rhythms and solid melodies. Here's the two tracks from the split, and the two I mentioned before, from their webpage:
One Reason - Dirge for 95 and 10
One Reason - Sorry, Irma Thomas
One Reason - The Black and the Red
One Reason - Song We Sing