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8 out of 10
"Radio:ACTIVE" by McFly is their first on their own label Super Records after leaving Island Records this year so (according to the band) they can have complete creative control and to be honest at times it really does show.
This is the deluxe edition that follows on from the free copy that got packaged with The Mail on Sunday in July, with extra songs (including the #4 UK hit Lies - which I personally think should have been number 1 by miles) and a DVD too. First up on the album are the lead singles "Lies" (http://www.dieshellsuit.co.uk/article_detail.asp?rID=2844 - 9/10) and "One For The Radio" (http://www.dieshellsuit.co.uk/article_detail.asp?rID=2754 - 8/10) that are in the former, classic epic McFly at their pop best and in the latter McFly at their devilishly catchy peak. What then follows in a mixed assortment of pop treats...
"Everybody Knows" is where the lack of a major label supporting the band and guiding their decisions shows through as I truly believe this would have never made it onto any previous McFly albums. The genre the song falls into is a sort of stadium-rock cowbell-infused foot stomper that wouldn't have fit in with their sugar-coated pop image previously. Lyrics like "We don’t expect results because the kids around here don’t give a..." that clearly end in the word fuck (but without actually saying it of course, the band don't want to go too far) again goes against their cookie-cutter image the major label would like us to believe and would have been censored far more than by not saying the actual word. The song is great, a real window rolled down summer-vibe rock anthem. On the other hand the lack of guidance means that the band's 'vision' comes to pass and we end up with what are supposed to be moving power-ballads like "Falling In Love", "Down Goes Another One" and "The End" which are all well and good if you're Take That, but McFly are at their best when they rock it up, ala "Going Through The Motions" for but one example of guitar-fury awesomeness.
I dare you to not air drum to "Going Through The Motions". You'll lose.
So the skip button could happily be pressed a few times on the likes of the above power-ballads but when it comes to the likes of "Only The Strong Survive" with its rip-roaring chorus and stadium-rock drumming or "Smile" with its cheery finger clicking and sliding guitar/bass intro and Children In Need-esque optimistic brass-fuelled chorus McFly really are onto a winner.
Whilst this might not go the whole hog to win over the McFly haters in the world (really, do you have no soul?) if you concentrate on the 85% of good, no, great times what we have here is a marvellous slice of McFly pop. Some fans may have heralded the demise of McFly based on their separation from their previous label parents, but on the grounds of "Radio:ACTIVE" I say long live the kings of pop!
Listen: www.myspace.com/mcfly
Tracklist:
CD:
1. Lies
2. One For The Radio
3. Everybody Knows
4. Do Ya
5. Falling In Love
6. POV
7. Corrupted
8. Smile
9. The End
10. Going Through The Motions
11. Down Goes Another One
12. Only The Strong Survive
13. The Last Song
DVD:
Part 1 - Down Under with McFly - The making of Radio:Active.
Part 2 - Behind the scenes with McFly - promotion Radio:Active Summer 2008
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