Revitalizing a genre well past its expiration date, The Thermals enjoyed a run of several excellent pop-punk records, culminating in last year's vital Now We Can See, a disc that suggested the Portland trio might never run out of steam. On the group's new Personal Life, it seems they finally did. Lead single "I Don't Believe You" is the band at its best, a nervy two-and-a-half minute sugar rush that would have fit nicely on Now We Can See, but that delight stands in stark contrast to the pep-less, mid-tempo weepers that dominate the record. Frontman Hutch Harris still has plenty of hooks to offer, but they're wasted on a set of torpid "emotional" songs that aren't nearly as fun as they could be, and don't cut nearly as deep as they're intended to.
Also out this week:
* Interpol's self-titled disc underscores the band's dilemma: When they branch out, as they did on 2007's misguided Our Love to Admire, they stumble; when they return to the steely post-punk of their 2002 debut, as they do here, the new material inevitable suffers by comparison. It's unlikely the band will ever escape that catch 22, but the new disc is probably the best they can do under these conditions. It's the competent, natural Interpol record that Our Love to Admire wasn't, ready to be enjoyed by fans with low expectations.
* Sam Prekop abandons all of his signature Sea and Cake-isms for his latest solo album, Old Punch Card, a difficult instrumental set of electronic compositions marked by jarring sonic juxtapositions.
* The rising piano-pop ensemble Jukebox The Ghost releases a sophomore effort, Everything Under the Sun, that's nearly as eclectic as its name promises.
* Adult-contemporary darling Sara Bareilles taps '70s AM radio on her latest, Kaleidoscopic Heart.
* And Helmet karmically balances out that Sara Bareilles album with Seeing Eye Dog, a particularly heavy effort.
|
|
