The Get Up Kids

If you ever even pretended to listen emo music, you know the Get Up Kids, and can likely hum through at least half of Four Minute Mile. On their fourth proper full-length record, the band grew by leaps and bounds, progressing from the lovelorn strains of "Don’t Hate Me” to the more mature, but still lovelorn drive of "Martyr Me.” On this release, a live recording of the band’s tenth anniversary show in Lawrence, Kansas, their evolution is captured by an impressive collection of songs that draw from all of their releases — EPs included — favouring those upbeat songs most adored by fans and, for better or worse, ignoring the more mid-tempo material of 2002’s On A Wire. Aided by keyboard flourishes courtesy of James "Reggie” Dewees, the band’s songs take on an even greater intensity in a live setting, particularly on the record’s grand farewell of "Is There a Way Out.” This is a release intended for the band’s fans — as a final remembrance of just how you got through that ninth grade heartbreak. It’s not going to convert any haters, but with the band’s announcement of a break-up following their current tour, that was never the point.