Something To Write Home About

Spin - 6 out of 10 - "...peppy enough to make even a college sophomore feel old....buzzsaw guitars, plaintive vocals, and driving tempos - in fact they sound almost 'exactly like' Superchunk. Not a bad thing..." NME - 7 out of 10 - "...an opus of buzzing popcore, heartfelt vocals and confessions....Their hearts might be on their sleeves, but The Get Up Kids' tailoring is 'sumptuous'." Melody Maker - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Another thrashy-guitar/harmonised-vocals US punk-pop band, but since when was that a bad thing?....[their] songs take precedence over their sneers....gorgeous..." Mojo - "...Quickly surpasses all expectation with a new-found sense of pace, cleaner pop accessibility and some unashamedly Noo Wave keyboards..." CMJ - Ranked #10 in CMJ's "Top 30 Editorial Picks [for 1999] - "...[an album] filled with strong songs built on infectious, driving melodies." Magnet - "...the perfect blend of punk, raw energy and homespun pop sensibilities....with enough gusto to make the tornadoes of their home state [Kansas] seem like soft breezes....[It] will seep into your brain and you'll find yourself singing along to lyrics you won't forget." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It's music as catharsis -- pure, visceral and honest, just as music should be." Spin (12/99, p.220) - 6 out of 10 - "...peppy enough to make even a college sophomore feel old....buzzsaw guitars, plaintive vocals, and driving tempos - in fact they sound almost 'exactly like' Superchunk. Not a bad thing..." Mojo (5/00, p.89) - "...Quickly surpasses all expectation with a new-found sense of pace, cleaner pop accessibility and some unashamedly Noo Wave keyboards..." NME (2/26/00, p.37) - 7 out of 10 - "...an opus of buzzing popcore, heartfelt vocals and confessions....Their hearts might be on their sleeves, but The Get Up Kids' tailoring is 'sumptuous'." Magnet (1-2/00, p.68) - "...the perfect blend of punk, raw energy and homespun pop sensibilities....with enough gusto to make the tornadoes of their home state [Kansas] seem like soft breezes....[It] will seep into your brain and you'll find yourself singing along to lyrics you won't forget." CMJ (1/10/00, p.4) - Ranked #10 in CMJ's "Top 30 Editorial Picks [for 1999] - "...[an album] filled with strong songs built on infectious, driving melodies." Melody Maker (4/11/00, p.48) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Another thrashy-guitar/harmonised-vocals US punk-pop band, but since when was that a bad thing?....[their] songs take precedence over their sneers....gorgeous..."

SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT, the Get Up Kids' second full-length album, has all the elements of a perfect emo record--catchy pop hooks, revving guitars, and confessional lyrics about confusion, alienation, and loss. The angst and need at the centre of this music lends SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT an aura of youthful naivete, but the Get Up Kids have the songcraft, focus, and sincerity to back it up, giving them the edge on many of their contemporaries.
The sweet yearning expressed in the near-ballad "Valentine", for example, is disarming, as is the introspective travelogue on the piano/acoustic-guitar duet "Out of Reach". But even when the Get Up Kids crank it up--which they do with convincing passion on cuts like "Ten Minutes" and "Holiday", the album's opener--their winning vulnerability shines through. "The Company Dime", with its Fender Rhodes piano and arpeggiated guitars, shows the Get Up Kids capable of spinning interesting textures, too, one of several pleasant surprises on this fine sophomore release.|