HelloGoodbye’s second studio album Would It Kill You, released November 9^th, 2010, stays true to form with a plethora of catchy melodies and beats that follow their traditional theatrical lines (a little less pomp than circumstance) with a new added synth twist. Their melodies are clear and the smooth instrumentals complement the repetition of the chorus lines. The boys maintain the integrity of power/indie pop with all the ambiguity of their alternative genre. The songs have a little bit of predictability to them. Maybe it’s the pitchy cooing of vocals Forrest Kline. Maybe it’s the overuse of the tambourine. Maybe it’s the honey-coated nostalgia of the lyrics. Despite all this, it’s a pretty solid album. Better than Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! These songs are stronger, more sincere, and catchier. Less pop, which I always think is a plus.

Here is the run-down on notable songs: “Coppertone” has an almost Beach Boys feel, with swimming strings and picturesque lyrics. It also has the most tambourines. The song from which the album was titled, “Would it Kill You” is one of the better songs, focusing more on guitar and hand-claps, it’s the most fun to listen to because it constantly changes; soft lyrics followed by a drum-chorus line mixed in with a strong base and back to soft lyrics. My favorite songs are, “Betrayed by Bones” and, “You Sleep Alone”. The former is a nod to the persuasive velvety feel of euro-ballads and the latter is a fast-paced guitar and percussion driven piece.  “The Thoughts That Give Me the Creeps” is the most bittersweet taunting song on the album, and surely the worst; it starts with an awesome five second black key piano scale. . . which than bursts into a Taylor Swift worthy rendition of a monotonous and awkwardly rhyming sunshine love song.

Although I usually suggest purchasing albums in their entirety to get the whole musical aesthetic of the band. .  .this may be one of those times you want to pick and choose. This is a ho-hum album, good for humming along to and little else.

c-c-check it out http://www.myspace.com/hellogoodbye

http://www.hellogoodbye.net/wiky/

 

s=”50″ class=”textarea”>