Boys Like Girls (2006) – 2.5 stars
Love Drunk (2009) – 4 stars
In the mid-to-late 00s, Boys Like Girls have piggybacked onto the pop-emo scene trail-blazed by bands like the (the infinitely more talented) All-American Rejects. A genre that has now almost completely abandoned its Rites of Spring roots, emo’s path of change has traversed Sunny Day Real Estate and Weezer and Jimmy Eat World, coming to rest somewhere in between Fall Out Boy (ugh) and AAR, with an eye turned ever towards mainstream acceptance.
In between those two is BLG, whose self-titled debut proved that there was a healthy market for such music, one likely appealing most to teenage girls. A fair number of them ate up the predictably over-the-top emotions expressed on said album, which featured a couple sharp, exhilarating tracks that lifted off (“The Great Escape” and “Five Minutes to Midnight” most prominently), but which sank without a trace by the end.
A 12-song work that should have been 2-4 shorter, with that many more re-worked, Boys Like Girls, at its nadir, exemplifies the worst traits of this kind of schmaltzy pop-rock. The lyrics sustain that kind of immature, woe-is-me attitude—“Who said it’s better to have loved and lost? / I wish that I had never loved at all,” etc—that, apparently, people still find poignant. When the melodies fade away, there’s not much left in the songs’ originality or sturdiness to make up for it, and lead singer Martin Johnson’s voice just gets thinner and thinner. The aforementioned two opening tracks, plus a couple more, are worth downloading, but that’s about it.
All of which makes their 2009 sophomore release, Love Drunk, that much more surprising. This is a massive step forward, though not via a significant musical shift. Indeed, it’s merely the other end of the spectrum, projecting the best feelings in emo-pop. This is what they should have always gone for, the kind of loud, hyper-melodic, blood-pumping, Top Gun-style-campy music that’s best belted out loudly from the car. When they sing “We’re heading for a heart, heart, heartbreak” or “I used to be love drunk, but now I’m hung-over” or “I wish that I could turn this car around, but she’s got a boyfriend now,” they sound carefree instead of overly caring, closer to delighted than despondent, loose rather than lost.
And THAT is the critical distinction—and the philosophical bent that really makes the album work. Self-misery would have sunk this project—and it wouldn’t have fit with the music—but the freewheeling thoughts blend together perfectly with the anthemic choruses to actually uplift you. When I saw some of these song titles (particularly “She’s Got a Boyfriend Now”) I nervously foresaw some Pinkerton or Narrow Stairs-esque lyrics; instead, they treat such situations as opportunities for freedom and novelty.
And they marry such sentiments to songs whose ability to withstand repeated playings, I’ll be honest, stunned me. Thanks to the playfulness and energy, the vastly improved hooks, and the fact that the songs are now drenched in color rather than projecting the same boring hue, they’re able to stir up that feeling of grand romanticism to which many similar bands only aspire. Despite re-using some elements (start-stop basslines, falsettos), their previously-dormant sense of songcraft masks flaws: Tracks like the opener and “Chemicals Collide” are as good of stress-relievers as I’ve heard.
No, Allmusic, “Two is Better Than One” (sung with Taylor Swift, but whatever) isn’t the worst of the ballads on here, for at least it has some punch and a decent grip on melody. It has tangible flaws, to be sure, but the real penetrating stares should be directed at the tracks that most recall the second half of their debut: “Someone Like You” and “Go,” which commits that crime of all music crimes, the limpid album closer. (Why, oh why, don’t bands just dance with what brought them? I’m looking at you, Jawbox. And Placebo.)
So, on some level, Love Drunk is what it is, but deep down, it’s not. Much as the snobby will hate it, this kind of music can be bad or good, depending on its execution, just like all rock can be. Their career has proved that. But for the most part, this is very well-executed—and fun.
In a lot of ways, this kind of music compares with country. There’s not a ton going on, musically, which redirects attention onto the vocals and lyrics. And, perhaps for that reason, the attitude and philosophy of the genre—the culture, if you will—is presented so forcefully as to feel like it’s being shoved down your right. Your appreciation, therefore, will be highly dependent upon your approval of that culture. But if you’re OK with it—and you’re finished with all 3 All-American Rejects albums—turn here.
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