I’ve been working on a Top 100 Albums of the 2000s for a particular music publication and in doing so, I’ve come across a lot of “1999 near misses.” One of these items is AS FRIENDS RUST’s S/T EP (the altered Doghouse version of the European release God Hour on Goodlife). Admittedly, I like much of the band’s later work more than this, but I remember when this release came out, during the height of the late 90s youth-crew hardcore revival and in the midst of emo’s wind-down/pop-transition period. It was as big of a hybrid genre smasher as you could find. Two songs from the EP are committed to memory, opener “Half Friend Town,” and the ragin’ “Coffee Black.” Being the always-caffeinated person that I am, I’ve opted to plug the latter one today. Enjoy.