Published on Jul 18, 2002
I’ve always felt that putting labels on music is sometimes
detrimental to the actual art of making music. I understand why
it’s done: to give the audience an idea of what is the sound of the
music. However, it also puts a straitjacket on musicians that want
to explore sounds that are outside the label they were given.
A good example of this is the latest CD from The Get Up Kids,
On A Wire. The Get Up Kids have been given the label of
being an “emo” rock band. To give you a quick and simple
definition, emo is punk rock made by sensitive guys. In other
words, emo may sound like punk but the songs are usually about
heartbreak. Well,
On A Wire has a lot of songs about heartbreak, but instead
of fast, guitar-driven emo, the songs are mostly midtempo and have
a more mainstream rock sound. When a band changes their sound,
usually some longtime fans don’t like it, and
On A Wire is no exception to this rule.
The first song, “Overdue”, immediately establishes that this
isn’t emo. Not many rock bands start albums off with a ballad, but
here it works very well. This gentle track begins with a sparse
acoustic guitar before the bass, drums, and a whisper of electric
guitar eventually join in. But the subject of this song is not at
all gentle as it is about a father returning to his son after a 24
year absence.
The second song, “Stay Gone”, ups the tempo and is very much a
rock track, but it is less emo and more in a mainstream
classic-rock mode with its melodic electric guitar riffs. It’s a
very good song that pretty much typifies the sound and attitude of
most of
On A Wire.
That’s not to say that the songs on
On A Wire all sound alike. There is some variation: “Grunge
Pig” is probably the hardest rocking song on the CD, although
despite its title, it sounds more like a hard rocking Weezer track
than anything by Nirvana or Pearl Jam. There is also the Beatlesque
“All That I Know”, the alt-countryish “Wish You Were Here” (not the
Pink Floyd song) and the indie rock of “Campfire Kansas” which
sounds like a lost Guided By Voices track.
Veteran producer Scott Litt produced
On A Wire, and that probably accounts for the feel of this
CD. He produced R.E.M.’s albums from the late eighties and early
nineties, and
On A Wire sounds pretty much like R.E.M. from that period,
albeit with more straightforward songs. I like the additions of
keyboards on the second half of the CD consisting of mostly piano,
but also an organ on “The Worst Idea”, and what sounds like a
mellotron on “All That I Know”.
I don’t want to give Litt too much credit here. I presume he was
hired to give The Get Up Kids the sound they wanted, and it is
important to note that the band sounds perfectly comfortable and
downright confident with their change of direction. One mistep
though: “Fall From Grace” sounds a bit awkward as if the band
couldn’t decide whether to make it grungy or to soften it up. Also,
Matthew Pryor’s vocals seem to be straining on this one.
I feel
On A Wire is overall a smashing success because the band
sounds great, the songs are melodic, and the lyrics are thoughtful.
In the end, I think it is unimportant if this release fits the
label that The Get Up Kids were given, and more important that they
are creatively at the top of their game.