Midtown - Living Well Is The Best Revenge

There's a fine line between catchy and annoying, and radio-friendly rock all too often ends up inducing headaches. Midtown tread this line like goddamn circus acrobats on their latest disc, a buzzsaw mix of sugary choruses, hardcore-inspired aggression, and absolutely killer harmonies that have the sense to never become too poppy for their own good. Clocking in at just over a brisk half-hour, the Jersey boys augment their signature crunch with some subtle production tricks (acoustic intros, keyboard fills, and other instrumental touches that - while seemingly minimal at first glance - actually do a lot to enhance the album). More importantly, they've developed a surprising degree of songwriting growth and melodic sophistication, from the subtle hair-metal influences on "You Should Know," to the grinding "A Faulty Foundation." Most notable, however, are the memorable hooks and odd tempos of "Perfect" and "One Last Time," two excruciatingly well-crafted "simple love songs" that truly set the band apart from their punk-pop counterparts. Polished to perfection by studio wiz Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World), Midtown swing for the fences with this release, and do a fine job in the process. Their tried and true emo lyricism - severed friendships, make-ups and break-ups, perseverance, blah blah - has been repetitive for some time now, but it's a minor (and easily forgiven) qualm on an album as propulsively enjoyable as …Revenge. [www.midtownrock.com]