Danger Radio

Used And Abused

Written by: TL on 07/10/2008 21:13:05

I've been arguing with myself (and with PP) over whether or not I should review the debut album "Used And Abused" from Danger Radio, seeing as it can be argued whether or not it has anything to do with rock, and effectively whether or not it is relevant for you rockfreaks readers. In the end, as you can see, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, so here's the review for your reading pleasure.

The reason I'm doubting the 'rockness' of "Used And Abused" is, that even at the hardest of moments, the songs on it are softer than Plain White T's, and in fact the hardest rock bands I'd compare to Danger Radio are ones like The Higher and Maroon 5. Doesn't really make you shake your horns at it does it? Despite the band having two guitarists, the riffs are about as prominent as those on the Rob Thomas record (that's the one he did WITHOUT Matchbox Twenty). The only elements that really try to move in on vocalist Andrew de Torres's spotlight are the piano and the programmed sound effects (that sound like they're done in a pirated soundshop app from a bedroom laptop). Again, this arrangement seems located a lot closer to pop than rock, don't you think?

Whatever, genre-location isn't that important afterall, is it good music we're dealing with here? The answer is not an entirely convincing one. Surely, the sound is too clear and the detail and mixing too rich for this to be a total disaster, but that being said, even for a pop/rock hybrid, "Used And Abused" is pretty anonymous for the most part. Andrew's sleazy vocals are good, fitting the style perfectly. and his delivery seems to take notes from the great master Timberlake himself, however, it makes little difference when even the standout songs, present in the form of the first three tracks, are mixed pleasures at best. "Things" (track 2) and "One More Chance" (track 3) are both weighed down by respectively a rather dull chorus and a retarded male backing choir. A shame. Most of the rest of the album feels like filler in comparison, except maybe for "You All Believe", whose guitars and chorus seem to grab your attention at least somewhat.

I fail to see who's going to listen to Danger Radio though. Surely the rock fans won't be found touching this with a ten-foot pole, and while it doesn't seem unfitting as funky dance music at a houseparty, you might just as well stay with stronger and more well-known pop material for that purpose. I guess that leaves girls in their early teens to idolise the band and dance around in their rooms to their music, but again, that's about as much as a turn off to us rock fans, as it is to read that these guys have collaborated with Jeffree Star. Anyway, in conclusion, "Used And Abused" ends up filling the role of an album that's not all horrible, but still inferior to other acts in the scenes it has roots in.

4

Download: So Far Gone, Things, One More Chance, You All Believe
For The Fans Of: The Higher, Maroon 5, Rob Thomas, Darren Hayes
Listen: myspace.com/dangerradio

Release Date 08.07.2008
Photo Finish Records

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