End of the World Party

Personnel: Devin Oliver (vocals); Brent Allen (guitar); Zach Johnson (keyboards); Andrew Oliver (drums).
Recording information: Chango Studios.
Michigan-based I See Stars are part of a growing mini-movement of bands whose ultra-short attention spans, molded by years of video games and restless cable channel-flicking, not to mention the Internet's capacity to endlessly regurgitate pop culture of the past in search of a quick laugh, have melded with teenaged hyper-earnestness to create a form of music that somehow sits halfway between heart-on-sleeve adolescent torment and the relentless pursuit of exactly one response from the listener -- "Dude, that was awesome!" These songs shift on a dime from rave-ready electro breaks to downtuned guitar breakdowns, synthetic-sounding drum-pad eruptions, near-falsetto choruses, Auto-Tune outbursts, ominous waves of orchestral strings, and a sense of the epic seemingly defined by '80s movie soundtracks. If one track title could sum up this album, it would definitely be "Still Not Quite Enough" -- the group's creative restlessness and unceasing pursuit of the next anthemic, cell-phones-in-the-air chorus or screaming hair metal guitar solo make every moment of The End of the World Party something that would likely make self-declared party master Andrew W.K. sit dejectedly in the corner, head in hands, muttering, "So that's how you do it." This album is so over the top, it's hard to believe they're singing in English and not Japanese. Some will probably find it schizophrenic and/or sugary, but if you're of legal drinking age, this album isn't really for you anyway. ~ Phil Freeman