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Matchbook Romance / Motion City Soundtrack Epitaph (6728-2) A Matchbook Romance and Motion City Soundtrack acoustic split - I'm going to be honest here; I've never listened to either of these bands before I stuck this CD into the stereo, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I will say that the CD presentation is gorgeous, with artwork from Derek Hess, which only made me hope the tracks were as good as the packaging.
First up is Matchbook Romance with 'In Transit (For You)'. The song starts softly and builds 'til the full unplugged band kicks in just over halfway through, Andrew Jordan's voice and the lyrics lead you through the song and by the end just left me wanting to hear more. Their second and final track - it's not the longest of releases - is an acoustic version of 'Playing for Keeps' from their most recent release ('Stories and Alibis'), and again the singing and lyrics are excellent - I for one will definitely be checking out the album.
'When You're Around', third track on the ep, and Motion City Soundtrack's first. It's a different approach - more chunky chords than soft tones building up, and if I'm honest Justin Pierre's voice really doesn't sit well with me. So onto the final song, 'Sunday Warning', which thankfully dropped to a slightly more melodic tone - more subtle, progressive - the tune's nice enough but sadly my aversion to Justin's voice got the better of me and I was left wishing there had been another two Matchbook Romance tracks. Nevertheless, the split is good, and, while I've not been converted into a Motion City Soundtrack fan, I'm sure others will take a different view, so I'd happily recommend this to a fan of either band, or someone simply wanting to check them out.
www.matchbookromance.com www.motioncitysoundtrack.com
Matchbook Romance / Motion City Soundtrack 
