Matchbook Romance - Voices (11 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Breaking the cycle for the better...i think

A. Stoltz | illlinois | 02/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"personally, i like when bands evolve musically. many bands have taken their music careers to the next level by doing so instead of just making hits or milking out their initial sound. some examples of bands evolving would be bands like thrice, saves the day, midtown, radio head, blink 182, finch (for the worse though), brand new, and not to mention the ballsy move by story of the year and their new album.

i was a huge fan of their debut album "stories and alibies" and that cd was in heavy rotation for me since it came out in sept.03 up until this new release. it also helped me with issues in my life and was definitely an impact on me. the past six months i have been putting so much hype on this new record and i knew it was going to be different but not this different. there is hardly any comparison from this album to their debut. even his voice has changed along with their style. no more fast, upbeat gritty guitars. this time around, their songs are more darker, more drawn out, (some say boring) and not as catchy. even though i love their first cd, you have to respect what they did with "voices". you can't expect them to write an album like their previous. they would be cheating themselves as musicians. matchbook romance's transition between albums reminds me of the one that brand new did from "your fav. weapon" to "deja entendu". i praise that development because deja entendu is, without a doubt, the best record i've heard in my 22yrs. and i hated deja entendu when i first heard it but you have to listen open-mindedly then your ears start hearing different things. i think "voices" will have the same effect. i'm not too crazy about it right now but i think over time and various listens i will come to appreciate it. my props go out to MBR for making a ballsy move and expermenting with this album. it's not a perfect album but still a very good one. for those who are reading this and haven't listened to the new material, definitely download or borrow it from a friend first. this is not emo. this is not punk. it's just a dark, experimental, rock record with no comparison to their first.

WORD OF ADVICE: when it comes to listening to two different albums from a band, try not to compare them (i know it's hard). just act like you're hearing this band for the first time again. it will make you more open-minded and appreciate the album for what it is instead of picking it apart because of how their other album sounded. that's the only way to appreciate music..."

Well worth the wait!

A. Martin | Los Angeles, CA USA | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At the start of 2006, the hype was on. "This is the new noise," banner ads promised, and comparisons to Gatsby's American Dream and Muse alike began dropping. The new Matchbook Romance will make you forget what you know about the band, removing them from their rather straight-arrowed pop punk track-record. As soon as "Voices" kicks off, you are immediately prevented from recalling this band did "My Eyes Burn" or "The Greatest Fall."

So is it a worthy re-invention? Absolutely. Satisfying hooks and melodies sway the listener instantly, with dark, brooding melodies on "You Can Run, But We'll Find You"--singer Andrew Jordan couldn't sound any more strikingly different from his "Playing For Keeps" days. And as he croons, "I give up..." in "Surrender," the song's pulsating energy reveals a striking reinvention of the entire band, as well--blazing guitars, hooks, and wonderful vocal memories immediately and consistently erase any previous notions that this band is whiny, or typical.

As the album progresses, there's really not a dull moment on the wild ride. Comparisons to Muse, Gatsby's American Dream, and Armor For Sleep alike all are dead on as abstract rhythms, blasting electrics, and swirling melodies put their fanbase into a likely trance. Key moments? Probably the hand-clapped debut single, "Monsters," with its catchy but renewing style and sound or the fiery "Fiction," with it's wall of chorus that sounds more like Muse than anything else. Driving guitars sound sensational, and at their most powerful moments Matchbook Romance are blasting away their established ties with the "pop-punk" filing in CD stores.

That's not to say the album couldn't be better--their whiny roots shine through clearer than day on the dry "Say It Like You Mean It," of which misguided attempts to put off a romantic ballad backfire. And when "What A Sight" comes on, once again you're reminded that, yes, Matchbook Romance wrote "My Eyes Burn."

It's easy to file this album away as the genuine reinvention of a band going stale, but more difficult to expose a band who might be trying too hard. At it's strongest moments, one will love this album--but at it's weakest, one will despise it. Thankfully, the latter is the more sparse of the two, and one can't help but congratulate Matchbook Romance on their growth and refreshing exploration of a new style."

First timer

Zamira Pla | Florida, USA | 03/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not usually one to write reviews but after listening to this CD, I had to. I had never heard of Matchbook Romance before last week but now I can't stop listening to this CD. It is incredible. Every song conveys something different and you won't be bored. My favorite track is 4. It will take you up and down in every sense. This is one of my favorites this year... so far..."

Voices

Drum Head | Mass | 02/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all I'd like to direct a comment to a couple reviewers below me. Specifically the people calling it trash because it doesnt sound like their old album. Though I love the genre and most of the music in it, the emo/screamo/punk thing is getting very saturated. A lot of bands sound similar, and thats ok. Matchbook Romance decided that they wanted to set themselves apart and do something else. If this was just another Stories and Alibis do you think you may have gotten bored with the sound? Also to those people, I have nothing wrong with you saying you dont like the album, but at least give a reason.

Anyways, on to my personal opinion. I think that this album is very good. Its not amazing, its not life changing, its not the album of the year, but its very good. Bands that try to break away from their genre often dont succeed in my opinion (Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Avenged Sevenfold, etc), yet their are some who do. More than anything else, this album is diverse. Songs like I Wish You Were Here and Goody, Like Two Shoes, show a soft side of Matchbook Romance, but then their are upbeat tracks like Monsters and Fiction. However, my favorite moments of the cd come when they mix the two and bring creative transitions and varied songs like, Say It Like You Mean It and My Mannequin Can Dance. Overall I think the experimenting came out well and I enjoy the new Matchbook Romance just as much as I enjoyed the old. As I listen to it more I believe I will enjoy it even more. These are the songs that never get old. Preview the album before buying it, but dont let change scare you away."

There Really is Something to a Rock Band that Says: Screw th

Funky Mo-Unky | Lexington KY | 02/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I liked Stories and Alibi's but I wasn't a huge fan. I didn't like the nasaly vocals and aside from a few songs the rest of the album all sounded the same. For a cliche emo CD it was pretty good though. Emo pop/rock isn't as bad as it's cracked up to be. Any form of mainstream music has a lot of musical merit because it does one thing that music critics rip it for: It's so appealing that it gains mass appeal. In turn though, as with anything that becomes a huge trend, emo will devour itself through replication and the mainstream will turn against it for being "too popular." After all "cool" is a sense that you're unique in some way. When it's everywhere, and everyone is listening to it....it becomes uncool.

If this band did not re-invent it's style it would basically run the risk of (as someone else above noted) jumping on a ship that is sinking in uncool waters. It's not that emo is bad, it's that every trend comes to an end. That's just the way pop culture works. In one way you can think of emo as this generations 80's hair metal. Both are poppy, both were very MTV inspired mainstream, both inspired fashions, and eventually both will be looked back on as a fond trend. Only really great artists that can adapt stick around for years. But cheer up emo kids, bands like Matchbook Romance that re-invent themselves will at least survive the crash when it does come (how long is still up in the air).

Anyway...here's my review. This CD is a big improvement musically over there other CD. The one thing that was shocking to me was that the lead singer actually has a great rock voice. He's not just some nasaly whiney kid with a guitar. The band also experiments with a lot of big sound, which is missing from most rock today. This is a rock band now, and hopefully in the future they will continue to grow even further away from pop.

The downside to this CD is that like the last CD a lot of the tracks sound the same. On the last CD a lot of the songs had the same emo-ish tempo and you could insert any of their songs lyrics over any guitar track and you'd never know the difference. This CD falls into the same type of problem. Except it's not the emo sound that's repetitous. It's the long poweful power vocals (which sound excellent) that get a bit repetitous. But overall there is a lot more diversity than the last CD so they're moving in the right direction.

I'd give it 4 stars total as an enjoyable rock CD, but I'll give them the fifth star for having the guts to take the musical risk and I hope it pays off for them.

Best Tracks (All 10's in my opinion): Monsters, Surrender, My Mannequin Can Dance, You Can Run, Say it like you mean it"

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