Sounding like Elvis "Weezer" Costello is good. Putting a sheet of red velvet behind the CD in your jewel cases is good. Recording in warm, crunchy, "hiss-O-phonic" sound is good. Nutty answering machine messages are good. Seems like The Disappointments might be on to something!
Mr. Costello is probably as well loved for his lyrics as he is for his music. The Disappointments are a bit of a disappointment in that department, although they're not a totally lost cause. While cringers like "My arms on you have been removed like a stain/Now it's time for me to prove I'm not in pain" look pretty bad on paper, they end up working just fine in practice. That's largely because these boys put so much tweaky charm and energy into their tunes that you'll be too busy just trying to keep up with the music to actually think about what you're singing along to. Tricky!
"I'll Live" is a sweetly manic breakup song with terrific vocals and a couple of nice, chunky breakdowns. "Everywhere I Go I Fall in Love" keeps the energy high with super-dense guitars, out of control drums and an extra-chunky chorus. The density manages to creep up yet another notch in "I'm Sorry for Hating You", another fast, chaotic wallop of distorted surf-pop-punk.
There's something totally anachronistic about this CD -- a feeling that the band's ironic use of '50s sock-hop imagery and design doesn't do much to discourage. The music manages to wander from surf to rockabilly to 1980s Costello-style raveups, yet still maintains a distinct and unique identity. While the Costello influence is probably a bit over the top, there's no question that these fellows have hit on a great sound. Great sound, great packaging, fun songs, iffy lyrics... Hey, three out of four isn't bad!
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