Apparitions of Melody (CD - 2005)

Kids in the Way: David Paul Pelsue (vocals); Nathan Ehman, Austin Cobb (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Rian Flynn (bass instrument); Eric Carter (drums, background vocals).

The screamo outfit's sophomore album received a makeover in 2006 after Flicker Records found its way under the Sony BMG umbrella. The boys from Indiana added two new tracks and a bonus DVD, re-releasing the collection as Apparitions of Melody: The Dead Letters Edition. The album's nuances remained the same -- a base of modern rock, indie, and emo coated with David Paul Pelsue's raging vocals. The collection aims for eloquence and metaphor on tracks like "Last Day of 1888," which attempts to evoke a message of tolerance through the eyes of a man accused of depraved crimes. "Burt Rutan" endeavors to tie the plight of the song's namesake -- the aerospace engineer renowned for building private aircraft -- to a degenerating world. Unfortunately, these ties are just as far-fetched as they sound. And the band's cover of Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels," though noteworthy, crushes the yearning emotion of the original hit. Kids in the Way seemed to seek their identity by flexing their guitar muscle, but separating themselves from the pack of indie rockers would take more than just an extra layer of fuzzy power chords and speed rhythms. ~ Jared Johnson minimize