The record that I play4 Out Of 5 Stars
The second album from Neon Trees combines power-pop with the kind of emo-rock that Fall Out Boy specialized in. The result is a fairly cool mix of infectious tunes that punch, with slick pop that captured radio's ear ("Everybody Talks"). But fans of the hit should be warned, there's not much else similar on "Picture Show." They rock harder than they pop. They even call one of their better songs "Teenaged Sounds," which sums up their approach almost as well as anything I could say about them.
This Utah quartet are all teenage angst and new wave fascination. "We're sick of everybody trying to be famous" they wail, just before making a Beatles/Bowie vocal climb into their hit. There's a lot of wanting it both ways, especially in the dancier tracks like the New Order-ish "Lessons In Love" and "Trust," or the sweet vocal interplay between lead vocalist Tyler Glenn and drummer Elaine Bradley that makes "Mad Love" into ridiculously catchy pop. There's also a tendency to aim for more that just quick hit ditties, with "Trust" pushing past the six minute mark.
Much like The Killers (whom Neon Trees has toured with), there's a real effort to do more then emulate the 80's sounds they clearly love with the whammy of a modern rock band. They may not have reached the level of Springsteen worship The Killers have (nor do they seem to want to), yet with several undeniably catchy songs and some snapping rock ("I Am The DJ" and "Moving in The Dark," "Picture Show's" bookends), they've earned the right to say that there's no sophomore slump in their discography.
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