The problem with Boys Like Girls' 2006 self-titled debut was that the group sounded like a mid-decade answer to earlier bands such as Simple Plan or Good Charlotte. It was easy to imagine putting various CDs into a stereo and hitting the shuffle button only to guess which group was blaring through the speakers. A few tracks share this on new sophomore set "Love Drunk," but the majority retain distinct flavor.
The verses surrounding the chorus of the Top 40 title track are probing and intriguing, and the jagged, fluctuating ear candy chorus of opening cut "Heart Heart Heartbreak," another potential hit single, indicates that the band has grown stronger. "The Real Thing," which smacks of Bon Jovi (in this case, a good thing) has an awesome lyric which works in all the right spots - relatable sans cliches, stream-of-conscious without being offbeat - as well as a winning, bombastic melody and awesome guitar riffs. These are the kinds of songs that stick around in the minds of listeners upon repeated plays without wearing out their welcome prematurely, and they make merely adequate tracks like "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and the cute but less interesting "Contagious" sound better by rubbing against them.
Of particular interest are the ballads, the best of which find the band hitting a particular stride and threshold of quality. It is a lyrically banal coming-of-age tune, but "Someone Like You," with its solid, memorable melody and soul-searching, emotionally sincere vocal performance from frontman Martin Johnson elevate it to a stone cold winner. The lo-fi closer "Go" has beauty and bite, and "Two Is Better Than One," which is aided more by Taylor Swift's big-thing-of-the-moment star power than quality vocals (she does fine, but technically she is not ideal), is a potential monster hit with its sweeping arrangements and over-the-top romantic idealism. It is precision-tooled to win over legions of young women and annoy their boyfriends for extended lengths of time.
"Love Drunk" is a sturdy collection of tunes that avoids the sophomore slump. Boys Like Girls up their ante considerably. This record is bound to spin off hits for at least a year.
Track Listing (Klick on the title for download mp3)
- Heart Heart Heartbreak
- Love Drunk
- She's Got A Boyfriend Now
- Two Is Better Than One
- Contagious
- Real Thing
- Someone Like You
- The Shot Heard Round The World
- The First One
- Chemicals Colllide
- Go
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