Sound bite: “Voices”
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 15, 2006 9:00 p.m.
Matchbook Romance “Voices” Epitaph Records
Matchbook Romance realized what many emotion-ridden bands of
today have yet to discover ““ screaming instead of singing
won’t grant you immortality in the music world. In its
sophomore release, “Voices,” the band exchanges the
“scream-o” pop element for haunting guitar melodies
with a Gothic tinge. Gone are the popped collars and khaki pants;
they have been traded for black suits and ties. It is hard to
recognize the band that gained popularity by playing the 2004 and
2005 Warped Tours. The songs on “Voices” are completely
devoid of the screaming and three-chord riffs that placed Matchbook
Romance in the category of just another teen emo-core band destined
to fade into obscurity. “Voices” borrows elements from
a variety of different sources, creating a new sound for Matchbook
Romance, but at the same time it’s a sound that has been
heard before. “You Can Run, But We’ll Find You”
sounds like a cheap knock-off of a Radiohead song, and the angsty
“My Mannequin Can Dance” features guitar riffs that
could have been on any Unwritten Law album. The variety of the
sounds on the album is surprising; it seems that Matchbook Romance
has attempted to sample every type of alternative music in
existence on “Voices.” There are some highlights,
however. It is impossible not to clap along with
“Monsters,” which utilizes rockabilly elements and a
prolonged guitar solo, exhibiting Matchbook Romance’s ability
to create more than simple melodies. “Fiction” is
catchy and full of energy, serving as the notable shout-along song
of the album. The band is sounding more and more like it belongs on
Epitaph Records. The label surprised many people by signing
Matchbook Romance in 2003, as the group’s pop sound was so
unlike that of the punk bands for which Epitaph Records is known,
such as Rancid, Dropkick Murphys and the Descendents. But lyrically
speaking, the band has not changed at all. The Gothic touches
simply make the album sound more moody. The lyrics do not convey
any wit or sarcasm. Although parts of “Say It Like You Mean
It” (“I know the only times you really loved me/ Were
the times when you weren’t sober/ And that hurts”) may
ring true for many listeners, the song could have been written by
any depressed MySpace teen. Matchbook Romance deserves props for
changing its style. The band showcases its members’ talent by
using interesting guitar melodies and other instrumental work to
broaden the sound of its music, and the album shows that Matchbook
Romance has the potential to create a sound all its own and to
become one of the most famous Epitaph bands. But
“Voices” creates too drastic of a change for fans of
the old sound, while simultaneously failing to provide enough
originality to gain new listeners.
“”mdash; Michelle Castillo
