Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Scary? Not especially. But the remixed, remastered and rereleased six-song disc from Scary Kids (who get their name from an obscure mid-’90s song by math-rock progenitors Cap’n Jazz) definitely has some punch to it. Scary Kids’ three-guitar assault, combined with a sprinkling of synths, is melodically pummeling, yet the songs are generally pretty, in the way early Get Up Kids songs tended to be. Despite the band’s emo stylings and angsty lyricism, the Scary Kids seem like a bunch of fun-loving goofballs when you view the bonus tour documentary video included on the CD. That, and the three live videos (of “Bulletproof,” “What’s Up Now” and “Locked In”) are the real highlights of this reissue. Scary Kids are fucking intense onstage, in a way that the studio versions of the songs don’t quite deliver. But this disc gives you the whole Scary Kids package: the live shows, the studio tracks, and a peek into the nutty life of six young guns on the road.