I have a feeling that this is one of those albums you’re going to either love immediately or sell back to the music store the next day. In my case, it’s more of the “love” side than not, I must confess—there’s something about the wall of guitars and earnest voices that gets to me, for one thing, and then there’s also a slightly deeper reason that took a little while to sink in. Sig Transit Gloria are, at first glance, just another crew of midwestern rockers with their hearts on their sleeves in an already-saturated scene, but these kids steer clear of Braid-like prog-rock stylings and opt to mine a much poppier vein of rock than a lot of their brethren. I was taken aback at first, mostly because I’d been expecting an EP’s worth of The Promise Ring Mk. VIII (I mean, c’mon, the used a corruption of a Latin phrase for their band’s name…), but what I’ve got is five tracks more in line with resolute popsters like Moods for Moderns or the highly underrated Mother May I, instead.

The melodies and guitar lines echo the last truly great wave of power-pop, way back in the ‘80s—the awesomely catchy “Don’t Come In” almost sounds like it could be a Romantics or Cars cover, updated for our modern times with more dangerous-sounding guitars and subtler keyboards. The songs are simple and basic, but that’s part of their appeal, to me; they’re quintessential pop songs, once you strip away all the distortion and look past the arty cover design. Pop’s not dead, by far, and it’s nice to see that kids today haven’t completely forgotten any definition of the term but the Backstreet Boys/Britney Spears variety.

“Wide Open Window” starts things off with a ferocious blast, coming off like a cross between The Rentals and Jimmy Eat World’s louder moments, but really doesn’t fully reveal itself ‘til the beautiful harmonies of the chorus. “When I Get Home” runs the same way, a sweet love song that chugs along decently ‘til it gets to the chorus, when the “whoa-oh"s start and the drums make you want to clap along. Even “First Time, On Time”, which stands closest to “traditional” emo-rock of all of the album, still manages to hit all the right pop-rock buttons. The result? Well, like I said, it’s a love-or-hate thing, and while this may throw off some of the Braid worshipers out there, I’ll definitely be listening for more.