Sounding for all the world like the kind of slickly commercial
alternative pop
which candy-coats the soundtracks of the teen dramas populating the
WB
network schedule,
Feel No Fade
is either a note-perfect satire of contemporary
rock
or a nakedly ambitious attempt for enshrinement in the
VH1
pantheon of faceless superstars. Take your pick: on the one hand,
the Push Kings
'
indie pop
pedigree is respectable enough, and
arrives on the fine
Le Grand Magistery
label, but everything else about the record screams sellout -- the melodic charms of the band's previous efforts remain intact here, but the songs are absurdly over-produced, and the lyrics are almost defiantly vapid. At most a guilty pleasure best suited for summer listening, its early-autumn release date only makes the cumulative effect that much more pathetic -- unless
finds its way to
Katie Holmes
' beatbox, there's no way anyone will even remember this fluff by the time next summer comes around. ~ Jason Ankeny