Get Up! There Is Nothing 'Guilty' About This Pleasure

There is something absolutely unparalleled about a new release from a trusted band.

Half of it is knowing that that band is incapable of producing a steaming pile of crap, and the other half is knowing that if they actually released a steaming pile of crap, it would still rock.

When the Get Up Kids' mastermind Matthew Pryor promised last year that his band's new record, "Guilt Show," would unite fans of 2002's alt-country twinged "On A Wire" and 1999's crying teen favorite "Something to Write Home About," skeptics popped up quicker than acne on a Dashboard Confessional fan.

What skeptics may have not noted was that Pryor had just released an alt-country twinged record for his solo effort, the New Amsterdams, and that a DIY (do it yourself) band like the Get Up Kids cares far more for their fans' opinions than any artist probably should. Keep in mind that this band took a lot of heat for eschewing their conversion van for a tour bus. This is just another reason it's a must to hate scenesters.

"Guilt Show" is a 13-track romp through rock and roll. With an irreproducible sincerity in his voice, Pryor relays words and melodies in a way few others have ever been able to - it's "Emo" before it went mall-bound and became popular. Pryor wears it like a badge, and it looks just swell.

The songs "Martyr Me" and "The Dark Night of the Soul" are nods toward "Something to Write Home About." Heart-in-hand responses to outside stimuli, they also show an evolution from their earlier work in that Pryor expresses these feelings without the Internet profile-ready lyrics he previously used.

"Guilt Show" spans the alternative spectrum. "The One You Want" comes complete with a blazing Rivers Cuomo-esque guitar solo, "Is There A Way Out" dances with comparisons to the Postal Service, and "Conversation" shines with a Radiohead feel similar to what the gods of spacey rock did with "Paranoid Android."

Most of the record does what the Get Up Kids have done for years now - make the most accessible music of their Kansas-based triumvirate (also including the Anniversary and the Appleseed Cast). Borrowing synths from the former and arpeggiating guitars from the latter, the Get Up Kids continue to reinvent themselves while maintaining the distinct and romantic sound they've had forever.

And all it accomplishes is the first great record of 2004.

This comes recommended for fans of: Weezer, the New Amsterdams and the Anniversary.