John Vanderslice

“Cellar Door” (Barsuk)

Compare to: Neutral Milk Hotel, Andrew Bird, The Postal Service

A songwriter for songwriters. A musician for musicians. John Vanderslice.

Those who have fallen in love with his past stories put to music will find more of the same in “Cellar Doors.”

Once again, JV has written himself into a series of foul stories as the narrator, employing the simplicity of a school teacher and the vernacular of a poet.

Themes of strength contrasted with weakness appear throughout the album. Lions and horses are used as metaphors for figures of stability, while family members are usually characterized by infirmity.

The sadistic “Heated Pool and Bar” introduces three characters, one of whom proudly declares, “I hunt kids in camouflage / Rain down bullets in flight, white light / Barefoot boys run for your lives.”

This knack for making depressing topics enjoyable to listen to has put Vanderslice in the same league as Death Cab For Cutie and XTC.

Although the man has no shortage of material to sing about, two songs on the album are inspired by movies. The films “Mulholland Drive” and “Requiem for a Dream” are responsible for “Promising Actress” and “When It Hits My Blood,” respectively.

Few artists could get away with this, but since JV has proven his maturity, all one can say regarding his unoriginal ideas is “More power to him.”

If the album lacks anything, it’s further evolution from his past albums. However, one might just as easily argue that Vanderslice is a master at what he does and need not change.

— Andrew Mabe

The Kids of Widney High

“Act Your Age” (Moon Man)

Compare to: Chris Burke, Jesse Camp, Dogstar

Believe it or not, “Act Your Age” isn’t some kind of sick, cruel joke.

It’s hard to imagine, but an album written and performed by a special education class from Los Angeles can be, and is, more than just a novelty act worth a few cheap snickers. In fact, “Act Your Age,” the third full-length release from Widney High School teacher Michael Monagan’s special education class, has more heart and substance than anything currently being churned out in mainstream music.

With song titles like “Life Without the Cow” and “I Make My Teachers Mad,” it’s easy to see how a project with such good intentions could come across as the punching bag for so many sophomoric jokes. And honestly, at a few points, it does.

Good intentions or not, songs like “Two Faces on Fidel,” a musical history of the Cuban dictator complete with Castro sound bytes and impressions of Desi Arnaz, make it hard not to laugh when no one’s looking.

But after the initial shock reaction toward the album subsides, the positive messages and honest lyrics on “Act Your Age” are undeniable.

“Valentine’s Day,” a ballad from one of the class’s female students to a boy she has a crush on, is one of the truest love songs ever released. Sure, the background music’s a little cheesy, but such open, uninhibited songwriting is a rarity. In fact, it’s almost uncomfortable to listen to at first, but the level of honesty is pure joy to hear.

Ironically, the most laughable part of the album has nothing to do with the special ed students at all. The songs, written and sung by the students, are backed by professional musicians and other Widney High teachers. Considering the lively singing and lyrics the musicians had for inspiration, the tunes themselves are far too tacky and sugar-coated. It’s almost as if those behind this project preferred to keep the kids removed from any level of credibility their music could achieve.

You can chastise the students’ teacher for exploiting them. You can call the album cracked, warped or sadistic. To a point, you’re right. But “Act Your Age” is worth more than its surface-level camp value.

It’s also a catchy pop album created by honest musicians who really have something to say. If honesty is cruel, so be it.

— Aaron Ladage

The Get Up Kids

“The Guilt Show” (Vagrant)

Compare to: The Promise Ring, Weezer, The All-American Rejects

Unlike most pop-punk albums, “The Guilt Show” is more than just a guilty pleasure.

After spending some time apart to work on side projects, including The New Amsterdams and Reggie and the Full Effect, the members of The Get Up Kids have recombined to put out another winner. The darlings of the emo scene long before emo was cool — and then not cool again — “The Guilt Show” is the fourth album from the Kansas City quintet. Although the band’s latest work doesn’t move in a very different direction from previous efforts, the album is still accessible and entertaining.

It would be easy to write off The Get Up Kids as just another in the throng of pop-punk bands currently flooding the market, such as Good Charlotte or New Found Glory. But lead singer Matt Pryor and company are far superior songwriters to most other acts in the genre, and the band’s albums are more than just carbon copies of a single song.

“The Guilt Show” starts out with a bang with “Man of Conviction,” one of the fastest and poppiest songs on the album. As one of the godfathers of the pop/emo movement, The Get Up Kids has a great ability to make somewhat depressing lyrics seem upbeat and fun, a talent that comes through in many of the songs on this album. For example, “Martyr Me” contains such uplifting verses as “And I’m wasting my life / It’s passing me by / It’s a good fight / Throw in the towel.”

The middle of the album is definitely the strongest point, composed of “Wouldn’t Believe It,” “Holy Roman” and “Martyr Me.” The Get Up Kids also seems to have a maturity to its lyrics not often found in a genre dominated by tales of high school heartache.

If there is any problem with this album, it’s that the group just doesn’t seem to know when to quit. The first nine songs are outstanding, but near the end of the album, there seems to be a trend toward slower, longer ballads which, while not terrible, seem to drag on forever compared to the excellent earlier tracks.

“The Guilt Show” will certainly not disappoint fans of earlier Kids efforts, or those of the band members’ various side projects. Overall, “The Guilt Show” is easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys quality pop-rock songwriting with heartfelt lyrics.

— Kyle Sederstrom