Audio CD review:
The New Amsterdams - Worse for the Wear

The New Amsterdams - Worse for the Wear

Band: The New Amsterdams Title: Worse for the Wear Rating: Release Date: 05 August, 2003 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Vignette 2: The Spoils Of The Spoiled 3: Hover Near Fame 4: From California 5: Hanging On For Hope 6: The Smoking Gun 7: Are You True 8: Asleep At The Wheel 9: Poison In The Ink 10: All Our Vice 11: Worse For The Wear 12: Slight Return

Editoral Review But the parallels are undeniable. It seems unfair to compare the New Amsterdams with frontman Matthew Pryor's other band, the Get Up Kids. Even though this is formerly his singer-songwriter project, much of his main band's emo-pop enthusiasm spills over into the upbeat arrangements and bright melodies. The feeling of Americana that comes across on Worse for the Wear, Pryor's third album under the New Amsterdams name, is not like that of, say, Ryan Adams, despite the rapsy voice, twilight glow of the creaky Rhodes organ, and the confessional-style songwriting. This is simply stripped-down pop with a twang, marking both a curious departure from the usual Gram Parsons palette and the potential birth of new genre, with standout songs like "The Spoils of the Spoiled" and "Hanging on for Hope" acting as signifiers along the way. Call it nu depression. --Aidin Vaziri .. You can see a complete list of all The New Amsterdams discography, or go back to the The New Amsterdams tabs