Has anyone else noticed that much of contemporary punk/hardcore/emo/music-to-clean-a-fishbowl-to seems to be mutating in various directions somewhat comparatively as that of the modern cross-over automobile? Once upon a time, there was a clear distinction between a car and a truck. Then came the SUV, which by product of middle-class families never taking their trusty off-roader away from the shopping mall parking lot, became something like a AAV (or all-activity vehicle – kinda broad eh?). Well, this too is infiltrating our music genres by the second, and MATCHBOOK ROMANCE define that scattershot approach to songwriting, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but certainly not a great thing. It seems like the current crop of young, talented bands is just not content with writing a strong “pop” tune, or a gut-bustingly heavy jam. Thus, we, get songs like “The Greatest Fall (of all time),” where slick melodic tradeoffs disintegrate into mediocrity caused by ill-placed screaming, tactically placed for that extra “emotional” push. Given that Epitaph Head Honcho, Brett Gurewitz produced this five song disc, I would have figured his greater ability at taste would have prohibited such excesses from happening. Of the five songs on here, only the last two provide pure enjoyment, as the band sticks to their catchy guns, and monstrous guitar sound. Both “Farewell to Friends” and “Save Yourself” come off as effortless, versus the forced awkwardness of the preceding material. MATCHBOOK ROMANCE do indeed have the potential to be a highly regarded band due to their musical talents, but here’s to hoping that current “flavor of the month” trends (ahem…*FINCH*…ahem) no longer become a factor in their future songs, and that these guys rely moreso on their own exhuberance and passion for playing high-octane music.

Epitaph

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