in 1989 what would later become one of the quintessential emo bands of the ’90s formed in Long Island, NY. by 1991 they had “settled down” (i.e. began touring regularly and sporting a stable line-up) with the band name 1.6 Band. this is a band name that means a lot to a lot of people. if the name doesn’t ring any bells for you, you need to download this as soon as possible. existing from 1991 to 1993, they put out three 7″s and an LP. the songs appearing on said records are available on a discography CD, Broke Up, released in 1995. but here we are – in 2010, and 1.6 Band are probably more popular than ever. a lot of the emo giants of the ’90s have enjoyed a resurrection via the Internet, and 1.6 Band are not an exception. it certainly didn’t hurt that they reunited last year. yes – this is actually an entirely new 7″! well, not “new” new… but 21st century new, at least. The Checkered Pasts of All Kings Present is a 12:12 long 7″ with much of the same tongue in cheek not-really-crooning over jazzy and spastic ’90s emo. playful experimenting with scales and rapid changes in tempo and style altogether, somewhat comparable to Daniel Striped Tiger. these guys are highly skilled – but what makes this worth listening to is the first and foremost the intensity! so whether you’ve slept on this band, never heard of it, love it but didn’t know about the reunion, – you need to download this. N.B. word of advise: stay away from the FLACs! they crash both my tag editor and my media player. I don’t know what’s up with them. but the 320kbps MP3s sound very good, so get those. then order the 7″, if you like the songs. it’s really cheap ($5 ppd in USA). buy link is in the download link.