It's impossible to open any major music publication these days without the word "emo" staring you down. Like grunge before it, the emo virus has spread through the ranks of the major labels as countless bands are being signed, hyped, marketed and forgotten about. Instead of getting stronger however, the music has gotten weaker as each band emulates the last hot group to come before, creating a watered down, generic sound that has critics like myself rolling our eyes at the first sound of power chords and anguished vocals.

Enter the Beautiful Mistake. Their debut Light a Match for I Deserve to Burn, was an immediate success for the band and became the Militia Group's top-selling album. Now two years later, the band returns with their sophomore effort, This Is Who You Are. Teaming with producer Michael Rosen (AFI, The Donnas, Rancid), the result is an emo album that is surprisingly refreshing. Rosen's production work is subtle yet effective, creating an album that stands out from the rest of emo pack.

Along with Rosen, much of the credit must be given to guitarists Josh Haquist and Shawn Grover. Refusing to rely on a paint-by-numbers emo sound, they nicely offer up creative breakdowns and understated time changes. Together their guitar work is well thought out and nicely contrasts. Haquist also takes on lead vocal duties, and instead of a tormented howl, offers a confident, strong voice that is more akin to angrier Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) or Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind).

From the opening cut and title track, the Beautiful Mistake show they aren't willing to take the easy way out. The first third of this song seems to be a familiar trip down Emo Lane, with cascading verses and choruses, until the final third offers truly breathtaking and emotionally potent turn, segueing into a nice reprise of the chorus. "The Separation" moves into a swelling chorus that upends the standard emo verse that comes before and finds some a truly chilling lead guitar line nicely counteracting Haquist's swelling vocals. "Cold Hearts (For Tired Souls)" -- one of the best tracks on This Is Who You Are -- nicely mixes standard power punk, hardcore and even some keyboard embellishments creating on a knockout of a song. The latter part of the album lapses into more standard emo territory, though the band does show flashes of creative life, but it never fully settles into the sound that Deep Elm records has become so synonymous with.

This Is Who You Are certainly isn't for everybody. If the very idea of listening to yet another young emo band fills you with dread, the Beautiful Mistake aren't going to change your mind. What this album does show above all is a band with promise. If anything, This Is Who You Are shows a band unwilling to settle within the familiar confines of their genre and there are flashes that are willing to embrace the studio process even more. Do we have the next Radiohead on our hands? Not likely, but the Beautiful Mistake show the promise of a Diary-era Sunny Day Real Estate.

The Beautiful Mistake won't convert the emo unbelievers, but fans of the genre looking for something with a little more substance than the standard emo fare will find much to love in This Is Who You Are.

Building from their success of their retardedly titled, but solid debut Light A Match For I Deserve To Burn (Marketing Director: “So this is really the album title?” Band: “Uh, yeah…” Marketing Director: “Hellooooooooo emo kids!”), The Beautiful Mistake return with an equally solid, equally average followup.

So what’s happened since the last record? Well, they've bought a slew of effects pedals, and they've been listening to a lot of Failure and Hum. I mean…a lot. I'll put it this way: in the liner notes they give thanks to a bunch of bands for "Friendship and Influence", the last four listed being Failure, Catherine Wheel, Elvis, and U2, all of whose influence shows up distinctly on the record (okay, maybe not Elvis, but you're getting the picture).

Asides from some muted hootin' and hollerin' in "Cold Hearts (For Tired Souls)" and some at the end of "A Safe Place" (which, for the record, is not as good as the demo version that initially appeared on the most recent Plea For Peace comp), there is virtually no more screaming on this ship anymore. What they have managed to do is craft a consistent, more spacey, rock leaning record. While the hooks are not that apparent, they really come out in repeated listenings. Songs like the title track and the first single (whose video is included on the CD. Well shot, but kinda lame…I seriously recommend checking out the video for “On Building” from their last record…that was brilliant) and the Snapcase-esque “A Friendly Committee” are extremely catchy tunes. “Wide and Wasted” and “Walking Wounded” mine from the Failure catalogue like nobody’s business. So much so that I keep waiting for Ken Andrews to start singing somewhere, even the lead guitar lines are extremely Failure-like. Honestly, the only reason I’m letting this go is a) they’re one of the better Failure rip off bands, and b) I really miss Failure. Nothing spectacular or original, yet it really seems like the guys spent a lot of time crafting these songs, adding different layers of atmospherics and textures to their sound. Plus the artwork, like on the debut album, is ridiculously good.

Overall, the record goes from average to good at times. Not that amazing, but it's ok. Looks like Cave-In's got some competition in the "wannabe-Failure" category now.