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THIEVES AND VILLAINS
"South America" (Victory; 2010)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
Upstate NY quartet Thieves and Villains unveil their sophomore effort, "South America," a punchy 13-track pop-punk affair drenched in the inescapably familiar pre-teen rock sound with enough slight variations and contagious hooks that sweeten the mix and showcase substantial growth (“The Ascetic Life is For Me”).
Despite a self-induced increase of edginess and a surprising organically musical nature propelling the music to a different level, the band tends to get mired in the saccharine mindset a bit too often here to make a serious dash for the king of broken hearts crown, but does a fine job of replicating the wares of Weezer, Motion City Soundtrack, and All-American Rejects to provide an innocuous good time.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/thievesandvillains.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2011 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
