Artist: The Get-Up Kids
Album:Guilt Show
Label: Vagrant Records
Rating:
Reviewer: Annie Hoang

It’s been close to two years since the Get Up Kids’ last offering, On A Wire, which no doubt proved to be somewhat of a disappointment to fans who felt that the band’s new found maturity strayed too far from the Kids’ trademark of lively blasts of ear candy. Therefore, it makes me happy to report that this album feels like a step in the right direction; the band has retained its pop sensibilities that made them a hit in the first place, but it also feels like they are progressing as a unit and moving into new and more dynamic material.

The album kicks of with “Man of Conviction”, which is roughly 90 seconds of energy in the style of some old school punk, and it immediately grabs your attention. Then comes tracks that you’ve come to expect, such as “The One You Want”, “In Your Sea”, and “Martyr Me”, that are catchy and upbeat to the point where you can’t help but sing along. This can sometimes seem a bit formulaic (“Don’t Hate Me” or “Action & Action” anyone?), but their brand of pop still sounds fresh and exhilarating while that of other, newer bands can seem stale and dated.

In this humble reviewer’s opinion, it’s the little idiosyncrasies that make an album stand out, and Guilt Show certainly delivers on those. A great deal of the songs feature a bit of a country twang that fans were introduced on the previous album, and “Wouldn’t Believe It” even features an finish that the average listener would deem “elevator music”. This sounds strange in print, but it works surprisingly well in practice.

The album’s centerpiece, “Is There A Way Out”, clocking in at around six minutes and made up of mostly strings and piano, is a dark and haunting composition that crescendos into a full blown rocking song, and then fades away into oblivion. This then sets the stage for “Conversation”, which I dare say is the band’s most adventurous song to date. It starts off with just the percussion, and then a guitar riff is added, and then next thing you know, you’ve got this groovy (and I say that in the best way) rhythm that is reminiscent of Murder By Death, a band known for its gloomy leanings and its focus on the devil. My, how our beloved Kids have grown!

Being in a band whose audience (emo/indie pop kids) is known for its reluctance towards change can be hard when you are trying to progress and mature your sound, but the Get Up Kids have managed to pull it off. By taking their trademark upbeat songs with sad lyrics and applying new, experimental techniques, they end up creating something that’s homey and familiar, and yet entirely new and exciting.