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Chug-a-chug-a-chug-a-chug-WAAAAAAAARGH!!!! is how most emo records go these days, with sixth form poetry masquerading as lyrics and the odd oblique time signature to boot. As part of the new wave of emo-pop, Ultimate Fakebook have yet to bust the genre out of the confines of tradition, but have still managed to infuse this album with enough quality to please both ends of the target audience. Indie rock-types will love it for its catchiness, whereas wussy boys in NHS specs will hear the jagged guitars soundtracking pain and heartbreak and tap their chests appreciatively. Emo cogniscenti might want to look towards The Impossibles and Saves The Day for reference points, but for the benefit of other curious parties, it's a little bit like Weezer if their songs were a little more 'challenging'.Make no mistake, Ultimate Fakebook will never take over the world. The choruses fall just short of anthemic, and in any case, they're a little too emo-by-numbers. But guest appearances from various Get Up Kids and ex-Descendents should ensure at least a few sales, and there is still much potential evident in their tune workshop. Meanwhile, the rest of the world will continue to function as normal, blissfully unaware that great music like this is making some middle class teenagers very happy to be sad again. Pass the Kleenex, I think I'm going to cry...
