The Measure [SA]

First things first, I'm going to refer to the Measure [SA] as the Measure. Secondly, this review is for the 7" entitled Historical Fiction, not the full-length of the same name.

When I reviewed the Measure's album last year, I thought their strong moments were really great. Their catchy blend of the Discount sound and folk-punk is as catchy and enjoyable as it can be uplifting. Their latest 7" is an affirmation that when this New Brunswick, New Jersey band gets their stuff together, it's worth checking out.

Both songs on Historical Fiction feature Lauren on vocals rather than the mix of Lauren and Mike that we have seen previously. The A-side of the 7" is the title track which, interestingly enough, didn't appear on the full-length of the same name. It sounds like Discount meets the Weakerthans. The band allows melody to let the song shine rather than the romps full of energy that we've seen in the past and the end result is probably the band's best work as of yet. Lauren's voice comes off as sincere and passionate as the listener could hope for while the rest of the band takes the song for a ride with enough pop and swings to leave you wondering if you would rather sing along with the words or hum the melody.

The B-side is "Murderous Bugs with Giant Needle Knives," which originally appeared on the New Dress's 2007 album Where Our Failures Are. It's a more upbeat number than its partner in crime. Whether this is because of the tempo, vocal harmonies or the feeling that the band had a genuinely good time recording it is anyone's guess, but despite a few moments where the song takes an uncomfortable change in pace, it's a good companion piece to the title track, which is reason enough to grab the record.