The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
Doghouse
The All-American Rejects debut with an album of immaculate design-pop that’s surprisingly likeable despite its generic manipulating of power-pop cliches and a pretty bland recipe for effective choruses. The fine “Your Star” showcases their talent for competent chart-seeking college pop, in the vein of Goo Goo Dolls and Hootie and the Blowfish, while they branch out in the general direction of polite pop-punk on tracks like “Don’t Leave Me” and “Drive Away.” The All-American Rejects offer a shameless run through every trick in the power-pop beginner’s manual, and you’ve got to admire their unabashed melodic sensibility. It would be nice if they had a couple more ideas of their own, but as it is, this is a fair enough stab at mainstream radio success that, with luck and timing, might even work out for them.
Doghouse Records: http://www.doghouserecords.com
