Wrist Slitter

Get Up Kids and New Amsterdams mastermind Matt Pryor has been tunneling himself out of dark places, both figuratively and literally, for the majority of his 17-year career, so it should come as no surprise that his third long-player is called Wrist Slitter. In less talented hands, such a half-assed cry for help of a title might elicit howls of mascara-smeared laughter, but Pryor's take on post-emo-folk-punk is steeped as much in the heartland rage of Against Me! and Frank Turner as it is the cruel existential despondency of Sunny Day Real Estate. Recorded with New Amsterdams drummer Bill Belzer and guitarist Eric McCann, Pryor, for the most part, has eschewed the largely solo acoustic, confessional singer/songwriter vibe of albums past for an aesthetic closer to the nervy, sweaty, yet ultimately tuneful attack of his meal-ticket band. That's not to say that he's abandoned the bedroom confessional altogether, as evidenced by more muted offerings like "As Perfect as We'll Ever Be," which, despite its opening line ("Alone in my head, because there's no one around/one step away from the brink"), is actually a very moving and thoughtful love song, but the bulk of Wrist Slitter is spent assessing, through the primal scream that is rock & roll, the damage of a life lived on or near the emotional edge, with highlights arriving via the fiery "Won't Speak to Me," the pitch-perfect single "Kinda Go to Pieces," and the banjo-and-cello-led, gospel-tinged title cut. ~ James Christopher Monger

ゲット・アップ・キッズのフロントマンによる新作が、来日公演のタイミングに合わせて登場(しかも日本盤は5曲追加!)。これまでソロで追求してきたフォーク路線に加え、今回はエモいシャウトを聴かせるロック・ナンバーも披露している。つまりキャリアの集大成を思わせる快作で、みんながこれを待っていた! 彼と同じく90年代を駆け抜けたセイヴス・ザ・デイのメンバーが客演していることにも嬉し涙!
bounce (C)山口智男