The Get Up Kids
Something to Write Home About, 1999
When I first heard this album Freshman year of College, I was disappointed it wasn't more blatantly about girls and being sad about unrequited love. The album felt choppy and weird. And frankly, it didn't exactly blow me away.
But, for whatever reason, I kept coming back to it. And now, 13 years later, it's an indispensable piece of my music collection. Every song is fantastic and I am constantly coming back to it for the pop sensibilities and the heartbreak in the lyrics and the synths. I sing along to every word and dance around like an idiot if I happen to be standing while listening to it.
The thing that gives "emo" it's bad rep is that people think of it as whiny and shrill and just pain, pain, pain. Something like a mix between Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Chris Carraba (Dashboard Confessional), and Robert Smith (The Cure). But The Get Up Kids prove you can be wounded and smart and catchy in your music while also not making your eyeliner run down your face by the end of every show.
If you like this album and you also like live albums, you should definitely check out
The Get Up Kids
Live at the Granada Theater. It's one of my favorite live records of all time, depicting what was, at the time, the band's final performance (they've gotten back together since then).
The Get Up Kids - My Apology
The Get Up Kids - Ten Minutes
You can buy
Something to Write Home About at
Amazon,
Amazon MP3, and
iTunes
