Matchbook Romance

Matchbook Romance | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epitaph / Ada
• ASIN: B000E115BI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,709 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. You Can Run, But We'll Find You

2. Surrender

3. My Mannequin Can Dance

4. Goody, Like Two Shoes

5. Monsters

6. Say It Like You Mean It

7. Portrait

8. Singing Bridges (We'll All Fall)

9. Fiction

10. What A Sight

11. I Wish You Were Here

Editorial Reviews

The band's sophomore release is a stunning artistic triumph. They've grown up, and in that process, reinvented themselves, delivering a record with much wider appeal than anything they've ever done. "Voices" holds close to MBR's emotional, post hardcore roots while delivering massive sing-along choruses that'll carry the band to the widest possible audience. The first single and video, "Monsters", shows a group that has arrived, with a newly confident sound that'll be everywhere in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars breaking the cycle for the better...i think, February 28, 2006

By 

adamKS (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matchbook Romance (Audio CD)

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...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well worth the wait!, April 11, 2006

By 

A. Martin "believe labs dot com" (Denver, CO, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Matchbook Romance (Audio CD)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars first timer, March 7, 2006

By 

Zamira Pla "Ziggy" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Matchbook Romance (Audio CD)

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...