Chances are you’ve heard of the Plain White T’s. The band’s re-release of the single “Hey There Delilah” finally made an impact on the charts last summer—a full two and a half years after the song was originally released. Well, back when those guys were just a struggling group of musicians, they occupied a music scene dominated by a group called Lucky Boys Confusion. Chances are anyone who’s paid attention to the pop-punk scene (frequently referred to, mistakenly, as the “emo” scene) has heard of them. Along with the Plain White T’s and Alkaline Trio, Lucky Boys Confusion carved a niche into the Chicago music scene, and ultimately paved the way for Chicago pop-punk groups like Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, and Cute Is What We Aim For—though, come to think of it, they might not be proud of that. A little more than a year ago, the brains behind LBC decided they wanted to try something new, so singer Stubhy Pandav formed Shock Stars, and guitarist Adam Krier formed American Taxi. This week, I’m going to try something new, too, in the sense that I’ll be reviewing two EPs in one column. Let’s see how it goes…

American Taxi, Runaway Songs

I guess it’s not much of a surprise that the guitarist, Adam Krier, and bassist, Jason Schultejann, of one of Chicago’s best rock groups would be able to put together a quality EP, but this level of quality truly is surprising. I’m not just talking about how American Taxi’s EP is so tight musically that it sounds as though they’ve been playing together for more than a decade, because of course they have, but Runaway Songs is something you truly can’t miss if you’re a fan of punk, pop-punk and/or rock.

Musically, Runaway Songs shows that Krier and Scheltejann have found the perfect mix of pop’s catchiness and punk rock’s hard style. The hooks meld guitar, bass, drums and electric piano—an odd touch for this style of music, but well done—in such a memorable way that after one listen you’ll have the songs stuck in your head, though I doubt it will bother you. And unlike most music in this genre, the music isn’t repetitive. The beats are always just the right length, so you won’t find yourself asking, “Hey, didn’t I just listen to this song a minute ago?” like you might with something of lesser quality.

Lyrically, the EP is something of an anti-emo manifesto, which, in my opinion, is always welcome. You know all those things you’d love to say to your ex or to a friend who keeps disappointing you, but just can’t? Runaway Songs says them. Krier’s voice pairs perfectly with the subject matter, a raspy and heartfelt mix that far surpasses what so commonly passes for “singing” these days. This line, from “Tanner Boyle vs. The 7th Grade,” has convinced me that I need to bring back the lyric of the week:

Your fears, they grow into a mountain / where you’re freezing alone at the top. / Still I wait every day at the bottom / just to catch you the second you drop.

That’s not to say that the lyrics only deal with ex-girlfriends and forgotten friends. Krier also finds time to be introspective about problems he’s had to deal with, including substance abuse and related issues. And to make up for the lyric of the week being gone so long, and in keeping with my things of doing things in duplicate this week, here’s another, from “The Mistake (Burning Hot Girls):”

I will be the razor, baby. I will be the pill. / I am the ambulance that never comes, the antidote you spill. / And in the accident, I’ll be the failure in your brakes. / I am the truth you couldn’t take. / I am a mistake, the worst you’ll ever make.

Check out Runaway Songs online at myspace.com/americantaximusic.

Shock Stars, Feel For A Heartbeat

When I first heard that the singer of Lucky Boys Confusion—the soundtrack of my high school career—was forming a dance-pop band, my initial reaction bordered on horror. Club music really isn’t my thing (there’s a reason I don’t like going to The Hawk), and Lucky Boys is one of those things that helps me hold on to my roots. LBC reminds me of home, and a lot of their songs remind me of very important moments in my youth. Hell, even some of my political beliefs stem from Pandav’s lyrics. I was worried that Shock Stars would sound like Cobra Starship or Panic At The Disco, and thus shatter the fragile pedestal my musical tastes had been shoddily built upon.

Luckily for my sanity, those fears were laid to rest when I first heard Feel For A Heartbeat. The band’s second EP shows maturity and maintains the rock sensibility I’d come to love from Lucky Boys. Obviously, the EP features a good deal of synthesized instruments, but there’s something unique here, too. Occasionally, there’s an a capella-influenced harmony and a ska-influenced beat, replete with horns. If this was the kind of music played at The Hawk, I might actually find myself showing up there more often than never. I might even find myself dancing—though I’ve received a number of complaints in the past, so probably not.

Ultimately, Pandav and Co. successfully meld dance-pop, fast-paced beats with punk and rock music and create something that is far superior to the sum of those parts. Shock Stars have converted me, and given the chance, I’m sure they’ll convince you that there can be much more than just repetitive beats in this kind of music.

Check out “I Got A Feeling” from Feel For A Heartbeat online at myspace.com/shockstars.