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Written by Kierstin Rzeska
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Sunday, 06 May 2007 |
Devils & Angels Warner Bros. Records B+ This is by far the most hilarious album I've heard this year. |
With hooks like the third track's "Frequently Baby (She's a Teenage Maniac)" where front-man Chris Cron sings "She's just a teenage maniac, with my heart out on the dance floor",I can't help but crack up and then choke on my own spit a little bit.The icing on the cake though, is when Cron refers to a past love as that "psycho in the blue dress" on "Biggest Mistake".
This is not to make Melee's major label debut Devils & Angels sound like a big joke or anything, though. Their Hopeless Records days are over as well as the punk-tinged sound they were sporting on their previous releases. No longer trying to define a style marked by punk attributes, the band is playing with a smashing piano-pop vibe ala Ben Folds. They're single "Built To Last" is the first to come off Devils & Angels, although if there weren't some sort of hidden rule against this, I could see all twelve tracks hitting the radio at some point as singles. Melee's real feat here though, is the range of styles used throughout the album, pulling each one off with grace whether it's the smooth, seductive rhythm of "You Got" moving against Cron's slick vocals or the soulful, ballad-esque song about a death ,"Can't Hold On" which builds and culminates into a full-on pop-rock climax. | I must not forget to mention that the bonus track is a seriously awesome rendition of Hall & Oates bouncy "You Make My Dreams" taking the song from kitschy 80's hit to a vibrant, glittery place. Devils & Angels is a sweet deviation from where Melee started. Check 'em out at www.myspace.com/meleerocks or www.meleerocks.com | | |
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