Pop Evil

Lipstick On The Mirror

Written by: PP on 22/09/2009 22:21:33

So now I've spun Pop Evil's "Lipstick On The Mirror" at least ten times trying to find some redeeming qualities, but the only positive aspect about the album seems to be its radio friendliness and ability to infiltrate US modern rock radios with a couple of smash hits on the record. Make no mistake, these guys are assembly line post grunge / mainstream rock, call it whatever you will, copying every single aspect of bands like Nickelback in the hopes of making it massive. At least those guys know how to write 2-3 good songs per album, making Pop Evil's songwriting ability pale in comparison. Yeah, I'm serious.

The thing is, I didn't realize these type of bands still existed aside from those who survived the massacre known as the end of post-grunge/nu-metal by the emo/scene movement. Because lets be honest here, can you think of anyone who'd sit down with their band mates in all seriousness and decide to write an album in the vein of Nickelback? Either these guys are in it for the money, the girls, or both, which I guess is entirely acceptable but isn't going to score them any points in a critical review such as this. A song like "Hero" is as formulaic hard rock / post-grunge as it gets, a track like "Shinedown" borrows from more than just a handful of bands from early to middle part of this decade (think Trapt, Default, Hinder, Breaking Benjamin, 3 Doors Down, Jet Black Stare, Rev Theory... need I go on?), in other words known as the 'clone bunch', and although "100 In A 55" has the quiet/loud dynamic in order thanks to the acoustic/electric contrast, it's all just so unoriginal and heard-a-million-times type of material that only the most shallow top40 people can pretend to care.

Poppy, balladic mainstream rock that appeals to people rednecks who vote Republican in the Midwestern and Southern states. I guess you could argue that it's far too easy to hate bands of this style, because all of them are perfectly suitable for background music at a house party where the dudes are paying more attention to the girls than the music anyway. It's not that the songs are awful, they're just very formulaic and feel like they've come straight out of the major label single-focused hit factory. In other words, it's not for people who actually care about music.

4

Download: 100 In A 55, Hero
For the fans of: Nickelback, Seether, Hinder, Jet Black Stare, Rev Theory
Listen: Myspace

Release date 26.05.2009
Universal

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.