The Get Up Kids

On a Wire (Vagrant)
by Tim Den

Gods to some, horrible aberrations to others, The Get Up Kids are back. But – surprise! – unlike before, their eternal struggle to prove how “grown up” they’ve become throughout the years actually rings true. Don’t call me a fan just yet (how ’bout never?), but there’s no denying that this ain’t the same band that penned Something to Write Home About and Four Minute Mile. With producer Scott Litt at the helm, On a Wire has transformed these guys into The Replacements. Or REM (“Fall From Grace”). Not riff-oriented emo, anyway, but vocal-centered “song”-craft that brings to mind later Chamberlain. They no longer rely on staccato guitar chugs to woo the 15 year-olds: They now use oozing organ and Mellancamp hooks. Except guitarist/vocalist Matt Pryor’s voice is still annoying, a fact amplified by guitarist/vocalist Jim Suptic’s contribution “All That I Know” (best song on the album). Someone tell Jim that he should be singing instead of Matt.

On a Wire is a step in the right direction (after eight friggin’ years); an album that you can actually sit through without sappiness-induced convulsions piercing through your body. Still, for my money, The Anniversary put these guys to shame.
(2118 Wilshire Blvd. PMB 361 Santa Monica, CA 90403)