View The Review
4 out of 10
It’s finally happened. The world has run out of sensible band names. So this Colorado duo have obviously shown a bit of initiative and used their secure computer password instead. With such a ridiculous moniker it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that the band predominantly trade in electronica, a description which is deliberately vague as there are sprinklings of so many genres on ’Want’ that it would be foolish to tie the group down to just one. What holds the album together are the funky, dirty electro beats which underpin hip-hop, rock, pop and everything in between.
Usually albums start off well only to fade in the second half, ’Want’ however starts off dreadfully before picking itself up with a few gems. ’Punk B*tch’ opens with the what appears to be the intro from TVs IT Crowd, itself based on an old computer loading up and to be honest it doesn’t get much better. The snake charmer sounding ’Choke Chain’ is just dreadful, one of the worst things I’ve ever heard committed to record. ’I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby’ displays the aggressive rap that characterises the earlier tracks on the album as well as a segment which wouldn’t sound out of place on an emo album. ’Holler Til You Pass Out’ offends the ears, though it does perhaps shed light on the reasons behind the bands name (Is it hot in here or is it just me/Is it hot in here or is it 3 Oh 3). The problem with the rap based tracks on the album appears to be that the aggressive delivery doesn’t match the underlying mish mash of electronica, ’Photo Finish’ is another track with two contrasting vocal styles and again it’s the more belligerent gangsta delivery which comes off worst.
It’s telling that the high points of the album are those that ditch the gangsta rap lyrics and instead aim for a less confrontational and more fun lyrical style, tracks like ’Don’t Trust Me’, ’I Can’t Do It Alone’ and ’Colorado Sunrise’. The band appears to acknowledge this by remixing three of the better songs to be included as bonus tracks. New single ’Starstrukk’ (yes it is spelt that way) is an obvious choice for a single, and the remixed version with Katy Perry on vocals should be a big hit. ’Still Around’ is a huge surprise considering what has preceded it, a soft, sensitive, slow burner amongst a slew of hip-hop and dance beats.
These days the lines of traditional musical genres are becoming more and more blurred, the likes of 3OH!3 further blur these lines by throwing many disparate musical forms into the mix, often the result is good, on the flip-side it’s often terrible. ’Want’ illustrates this perfectly; some of the songs really don’t work, whereas others will have fans of many genres uniting on dancefloors across the land.
Listen:: www.myspace.com/3oh3
Tracklist:
1. Tapp
2. Punk B*tch
3. Don’t Trust Me
4. Choke Chain
5. I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby
6. I Can’t Do It Alone
7. Star Strukk
8. Rich Man
9. Photo Finish
10. Still Around
11. Holler Til You Pass Out
12. Colorado Sunrise
13. Star Strukk (Featuring Katy Perry)
14. Don’t Trust Me (Benny Blanco Remix Featuring Kid Cudi)
15. Still Around (Big Mix)
No comments:
Post a Comment