With song titles like
"You Don't Even Know," "Hey Now," "Every Time I'm With You," and "On
Fire," this could be the world's most generic band. These folks are
like the misshapen spawn of a union between U2 and the
American Pie 2 soundtrack, seamlessly inoffensive and hopelessly
bland. Sure, these twelve songs have hooks and chiming guitars, but
singer Roger Figueiredo's tween-dream scream is as exhausting
as it is breathy, and the song writing is severely adequate and
matched by equally mediocre performance. Seems the band garnered
attention for Songs of Solomon by machinating an oblique
campaign consisting of Lady GaGa remix videos, performed and posted
by the band's seventeen year old drummer; if that doesn't tell you a
thing or two about this record, I don't know what will.
Unfortunately, no manner of gimmickry or dreamy-eyed front-cover
posturing can save what amounts to a thoroughly regrettable flop;
independent music needs more originality, not this bromidic,
premeditated pop-rock.
