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7 out of 10
Mansions' grand poobah, Christopher Browder, must be a really busy dude. Last year we reviewed his self-titled "Mansions" (EP) - an excellent debut - and later he released a series of EPs under the title "EP Initiative"; consisting of nearly 40 songs on various formats such as cassette, mini-CD and MP3. Mansions' debut full-length, "New Best Friends", follows in the tradition of the EPs; taking a genre molested by thousands of eyeliner and faux-hawked schmohawks and bringing it back to its roots with very few missteps.
"NBF" features a couple tracks from the EPs including "I Told A Lie," "The Worst Part" and "Take It Back" in addition to nine songs that are either brand new or were previously offered as demos. "The Worst Part" is a great song, even if the chorus sounds an awful lot like "The Fold Out" by The Jealous Sound. It's almost fitting as Browder is evocative of Blair Shehan of Jealous Sound/Knapsack fame. "Talk Talk Talk" makes a strong argument for best song on the album. Browder must be channeling some Los Angeles experiences when he sings "All you do is talk talk talk / All about your self self self / And I wonder if anyone else / Sees through your smile." "Curacao Blue" and "Insulated" are pleasantly reminiscent of "Something About Airplanes"-era DCFC.
All in all, "New Best Friends" is a solid listen with many highlights, although 12 songs could be considered a long album these days. One or two omissions may have been prudent. Lastly, it should be noted that in the "Mansions" (EP) review, this writer stated that Browder was "very young," which can be attributed to a lack of press materials, but according to his driver's license (it's posted on his Myspace!) he's actually 23. So if you catch Mansions live, be sure to buy him a whiskey sour and thank him for reminding us of what emo used to sound like before it was fueled by ramen.
Listen: www.myspace.com/mansions
Tracklist:
1. I Told A Lie
2. Talk Talk Talk
3. Por Favor is Spanish
4. Holidaze
5. Curacao Blue
6. Insulated
7. Take It Back
8. Gotta Be Alone
9. The Worse Part
10. Substitute Angel
11. Millions of Pieces
12. All Eyes On You
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