When I first looked at the cover of this CD and the title, my immediatethought was "Please kill me at this very moment and save me from themusic inside, as it's bound to be incredibly pretentious LA glam popwith a European slant, and I can't stand any more of that. Thank you,whoever hears." I'm glad to say I wasn't entirely right, but there areelements of truth to it, and therefore the record surprised me, thoughultimately I did not like it much. Brent Rademaker (Further/BeachwoodSparks) and Michelle Loiselle have a clear knack for pop songs andmelodies, but they seem rather big on glitz and appearance as the linernotes show. This can be an indication of a band without much substance,and the beginning of the record almost reflects that. "Dead Wrong"opens with a slight rephrasing of "Horse With No Name" in a faux GaryNuman delivery. Then, something shocking happens, as the verse hashorrible lyrics, but the chorus takes orbit and firmly finds its placeamong the stars ("Now everybody's doing everybody wrong, andeverybody's singing everybody else's song"). So, in a way, it's anironic parody that opens the record, and that's a bit acceptable, butthe lyrics are still lackluster, and the overall aesthetic seemsborrowed, as well. Plus, the song goes on 45 seconds longer than itshould, into a "doo doo doo" breakdown that is more doo doo. Still, theconcept delivers a benefit of doubt response, and a hope that othersongs will improve it. Sadly, no. "Fashion Death Trends" is where thealbum gets its insidious title, and seems to be about changingattitudes with clothes, and has lyrics in places like "Hello HelloHello" and "Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye." Other songs have promise, withbetter lyrics and more variation, like "The Extremists" and "SoftLight." Then "A Go-see" comes and destroys the momentum. Basically, itdoesn't get anywhere, and it does it real quick. It's derivative, butit has promise; so that's at least one positive thing.Read More
