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For pop punk fans that live in the Chicago area you would almost think that The Methadones and The Copyrights are conjoined twins in need of surgery. Both bands have played shows together countless times, both share a home on Red Scare records, and both have been putting out consistently solid pop punk albums nonstop over the past few years. So it’s inevitable that the Copyrights and the Methadones would decide to do a split album together. This time around both bands decide to skip the middle man and put out the split D.I.Y. on their own label entitled Transparent records. The results of this split should please just about every fan of either band.

The Methadones start things off with six songs. Their sound on this split picks up pretty much where their last full length This Won’t Hurt left off, with more of a focus on melodic power pop, including lyrics mainly consisting about anxieties in relationships and far less songs about television. Highlights include "Imperfect World," which starts things off with a bang. "3-2-1" musically reminds me more of their material from Not Economically Viable. My favorite Methadones song from this split would have to be "Under The Skyline" which is about the wonderful city of Chicago. "On The Clock" is another great tune that anyone with a shitty job can relate too. I didn’t care but I’m guessing a few people might have some quips about an older band such as the Methadones complaining about their day jobs as though they were still a bunch of teenagers working part-time jobs. "Easter Island" is nothing but brilliant power pop; the acoustic guitar at the beginning of the song is a great touch. Finally "What Do You Believe In?" is another great power pop tune on the subject matter of relationships.

Now if you’re worried that the Copyrights wouldn’t be able to deliver a great set of songs after putting out three full-length albums within three years, these songs will crush any worries you might have. Hell, their contribution to this split just might be their best material to date. "Keep Me In The Dark" starts things off as an instant highlight. I dare you not to sing along to it, it’s impossible. "Trapped On A Reel" and "Flooded Basements, Abandoned Beaches" are also highlights and share a common thread when you connect the lyrics together; being broke, working dead end jobs, but realizing you enjoy the life you have despite not having a dime to your name. "Holidays" is my personal favorite from the Copyrights side; it’s definitely a song that you’ll want to play during holidays and whenever you just wish there would be one on the calendar. The Copyrights finish off their part of the split with a wonderful punked up cover of the 1996 alternative radio hit "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand" by The Primitive Radio Gods. For whatever reason the song is re-titled to "Locked Outside A Motel Without Shoes, A Wallet, or A Phone."

To conclude, this is a tremendous split album with great contributions from both the Methadones and the Copyrights. The production from Atlas Studios makes both bands sound flawless without making either of them sound over-produced or lifeless. As a fan of both bands this split did not let me down one bit. The only real downside to it is that before you know it you’ve listened to the entire album. Oh and beware, the album cover might scare young children.






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    Posted by IanIsSuperRad on 2008-08-04 23:08:18
    My Score:

    Score is for the Ohio hate going on in the comments below. Ohio (at least where I live) rocks and the Cleveland scene is great.

    This split is awesome though.

    Posted by randomhero323 on 2008-08-04 13:59:49

    I picked this up at Insub Fest. Fucking awesome

    Posted by clamum on 2008-08-03 21:27:33

    The Midwest rules. Glad I was born here and I plan on staying. Down-to-Earth people ftw.

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2008-08-01 20:22:20

    Copyrights and Flatliners at Reggie's, September 6th.

    Posted by Suburban_John on 2008-08-01 18:49:09
    My Score:

    great split! just bummed copyrights aren't playing riot fest this year

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2008-08-01 16:51:22

    Thanks nive... I'm gonna stab you.

    Posted by bryne on 2008-08-01 16:49:59
    My Score:

    Such a great split.

    I'm glad this review was posted over the one I submitted--it's way better.

    Posted by niveK82 on 2008-08-01 16:25:27
    My Score:

    My score is for Copyrights, Methadones, Jerry, Jason, Toby and Chicago.

    Posted by JerryCola on 2008-08-01 15:27:43

    I guess the reason why my reviews mention Chicago so much is that I really appreciate the music scene in my town and I notice that unless it has something to do with the Lawrence Arms, bands from here tend to get over-looked in the reviews section on punknews.

    And yes Chicago is a cool place. There are a lot of great bands making a lot of great varieties of punk music and there are a lot of great venues to see shows here. My only complaint would be that Chicago isn’t All Ages friendly because of the strict curfew laws and how strict the liquor laws are which makes most all ages shows unprofitable. But overall, if you’re going to live in the Midwest then Chicago is your best bet, followed by Minneapolis.

    Anyways the next review I want to write will be for a band from the UK so I’m pretty sure I won’t mention Chicago in that one, but hey you never know.

    Posted by Scruffy on 2008-08-01 14:37:40

    NP-

    So you've never been to Chicago, then?
    Yes, the Midwest sucks. Chicago is a coastal city in the middle of the country. Trust me. I grew up in WV and OH. You never want to go to WV or OH. Chicago is everything good about NY or CA, with only about 1/3 of the douchebags. And rent here is cheap compared to a lot of big cities on the coast. There's also a crapton of green space for a huge city.
    Oh yeah, and our punk scene is ridiculously awesome.

    Posted by Redscare on 2008-08-01 13:26:41
    My Score:

    To the comment below...

    You can't pick on THE JerryCola, dude!

    I think it's kind of important to mention the scene where these guys are from, it puts things in context. To answer your inquiry, yeah, Chicago has a great punk scene a lot to offer in the way of culture and entertainment. You can live here for years and barely scratch the surface. As for Ohio, I know some cool people from there, but like Florida, it kinda has a reputation for crazies. On a side note, almost every person I have met from Michigan is super cool. It's all coincidence I'm sure, but that's my experience.

    Posted by NotPatriotic on 2008-08-01 13:12:40

    I know this is probably a pointless comment and I understand I probably shouldn't critique a review someone put a lot of time and effort into (I know writing reviews are tough), it just seems like in your reviews JerryCola you always talk about Chicago. Have you been to many other cities in the country? I mean, I haven't been to Chicago, so I can't make judgments on the city, but you talk about it so much in your reviews it just seems like it is an amazing place. Is it really that cool? I have never pictured the midwest to be a cool part of the country. It seems like there has to be a reason people love the coasts and try to stay outta the Midwest (Housing Prices being a prime example). I know a girl from Ohio and sometimes she talks about how everyone she knows does not gloat about being from Ohio. She said the whole state pretty much sucks. Is Illinois and Chicago that much different?

    Posted by BJR on 2008-08-01 11:22:20
    My Score:

    This album is the bomb. So good.

    You can order this shit at Interpunk dude. #1!

    Posted by blanktapesemptybottles on 2008-08-01 00:57:41

    where the hell can I order this? the damn myspace doesn't have it

    Posted by mattramone on 2008-07-31 23:42:52

    Aren't the Copyrights working on a triple-LP concept album about Dracula? They said they could write it in three days.

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2008-07-31 22:41:13
    My Score:

    This record is fucking great!

    Also, there will NEVER be enough songs from The Copyrights.

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