Matchbook Romance

“Voices” (Epitaph Records)

Compare to: Taking Back Sunday, Gatsby’s American Dream

REVIEW: 2 / 5

In short: Matchbook Romance’s sophomore effort trades in the catchy hooks and choruses of their debut for too many violins and pianos.

Apparently someone over at Epitaph thought it would be cute to release Matchbook Romance’s latest offering on Valentine’s Day. Although perhaps its first full-length album, “Stories and Alibis” may have been appropriate for such an occasion, “Voices” seems more suited for Halloween or maybe Groundhog’s Day after Punxatawney Phil sees his shadow and we’re cursed with six more weeks of winter.

If “Voices” is the natural evolution of Matchbook Romance’s sound, by its next release they’ll be writing scores for daytime soap operas. Gone are the punchy, driving melodies that made its debut so memorable and won it legions of teeny-bopper fans. In its place are drawn-out canticles of drama and despair. Singer Andrew Jordan seems to try and make up for his histrionic, strained vocals by writing juvenile lyrics about love and heartbreak.

Case in point is the My Chemical Romance sound-alike, “Fiction:” “I never looked back/Cross my heart and hope to die/I did it for love, love/I did it for the cry, love, love/I wanna overdose on her kiss/Leaving me like this/Will you be my drug, drug?”

The one saving grace of “Voices” is the mature musicianship and often intricate arrangements based on well-placed time changes and tumultuous crescendos.

However, even that cannot save Matchbook Romance’s second full-length album from falling far short of modest expectations.

-Tyler Barrett