the new amsterdams

worse for the wear

'Maybe it's sacrilege to say, but "Worse for the Wear" is undoubtedly the most solid piece of work put out by any member of The Getup Kids.

Matthew Pryor's musical coequal, The New Amsterdams, is the flipside of the coin from his more noted endeavor, The Getup Kids. The music is a laid-back project in which nothing spews forth further than Pryor's sincerity.

The New Amsterdams is a diamond, slowly condensing and compacting itself into a bare-bones band in the rough of the incestuous Midwestern indie rock scene. The project has grown up alongside many of the younger and late-blooming scenesters, exposing them to an offshoot - the folk roots of indie music. That is something for which Pryor should be commended.

Aside from providing this coincidental public service, his lyrics have the sharp bite of an aging cynic, too old to be a part of the scene but too dependent upon it to leave. It's a trap that not only puts the musician in a tough spot, but it also surrounds that person with false friends and can turn art into a commercial business. In Pryor's case, as with so many countless others, it can lead to drinking.

These are the topics brought to the forefront in some of the album's best tracks, including "The Spoils of the Spoiled," "Hover Near Fame," and "All Our Vice."

The most impressive quality is not what this record has to say or how the music sounds. Rather, it is the fact that it flows naturally. At no point during any of the multiple listens of which this record is worthy will you find any reason to question anything you hear. It is captivating, enthralling, and thoroughly evokes empathy from the listener.

It's hard to feel bad for someone who has suffered as much success as Pryor, and this record succeeds in that task.