Maritime: Heresy And The Hotel Choir

On his band's third album, Heresy And The Hotel Choir, Maritime frontman Davey Von Bohlen still sings in the same clipped, youthful voice he always has, but that doesn't mean he hasn't learned some new tricks. Actually, keen listeners might recognize them as some old ones: On decidedly more upbeat tracks like "Hand Over Hannover," Von Bohlen churns out the kind of jumpy power chords he used to employ with pioneering emo vets the Promise Ring. Yet, while those bursts of pop-punk strumming may delight former fans, they awkwardly mix with such sublime acoustic ballads as "First Night On Earth." In the end, Von Bohlen and his bandmates straddle both ends of the spectrum, but it's only Heresy's slower, more pristine moments that are truly worth revisiting.