Review Summary: Epic, towering, and completely artificial.
Somewhere between the synthetic horns, faux-reggae jams, and glossy, sugar-coated pop choruses,
King shows its true colors. If you are a sucker for over-the-top pop, it is possible (if not likely) that you will be captivated by the opening song and title track. With a verse reminiscent of the extremely catchy ‘This Town’, ‘King’ sweeps over your surface-layer senses with energetic keys, celebratory strings, and bombastic horns that work well on an island but fade into an overly sweet state of oblivion when placed in context with the rest of the album. And like the whole of
King, ‘King’ falls flat in terms of musical and artistic worth. The lyrics are no deeper than the average kiddie pool, and any genre frontiers that are explored are done so with the competency of bands like Train or Maroon 5 – in other words, occasionally infectious yet technically and conceptually commonplace. Everything about
King goes down smooth, and while it may be one of the most accessible albums you will come across this year, there is nothing substantial enough – even within its sixteen track scope – to command your attention or challenge your taste.
It isn’t that O.A.R. doesn’t
sound good on this record, it’s just that their list of ideas is so slim that they end up repeating themselves before they ever really get started. For example, ‘Take On The World Today’ is mind-numbingly redundant; and at only 2:51, it feels like the longest track on the album. The aforementioned horns and keys resurface more than just periodically throughout
King, appearing in over half of the tracks in a way that is more intrusive and annoying than it is enjoyable. Like a few past efforts (and perhaps as a result of the band’s reggae influences), the album also strives for a summertime sound – one that it achieves, but only in a contrived sense akin to 311’s latest release
Universal Pulse. There is nothing outside of the distant reggae influence and the blatant attempts at creating tropical-sounding guitar riffs to suggest that O.A.R. actually knows how to craft its own unique summer album; and unfortunately, their motives are every bit as transparent as similar efforts by their contemporaries. The songs simply aren’t that memorable either; whereas every other O.A.R. album had at least one track like ‘Shattered’ to anchor it,
King finds itself meandering rather aimlessly – frequently making
almost there moments of catchiness that never fully develop or explode in the way that you would want or expect. It all ends up leaving you excited for a great pop/rock album that never actually arrives – and if that isn’t frustrating enough, the three completely unnecessary interludes (yet another cliché!) ought to do it.
Despite
King’s plainly visible shortcomings, it still has quite a few equally obvious things going for it. For one, the production is outstanding, and every instrument meshes with crystal clarity to create a sleek, streamlined pop-rock album. The arrangements are actually extremely well done, especially considering how much the horns and other synthesizers are forcibly jammed in there – and if you aren’t a prick about technical ability, the whole thing can make for a very pleasing experience. ‘Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes’, ‘Heaven’, and ‘King’ all have the ability to lift your spirits, offering up swaying rhythms and tropical beats that are thoroughly enjoyable despite their simplicity. The swelling, grandiose nature of the songs should also be pretty damn fun in a live setting, provided the band pours as much energy into their shows as they have in the recent past. So if you put your expectations aside and approach
King casually, you might be surprised at how much its upbeat sway and positive aura affect your mood. But even then, the album doesn’t take over a role much greater than that of background music; and that is a threshold that O.A.R. normally crosses with ease.
The problems that plague this record are the same ones that seem to get every mainstream rock/pop/indie band at some point, and while it may be foolish to call it selling out (come on, we are talking about O.A.R. here), it is at the very least
settling down in the sense that their sound, while full of vivacity, has become tepid from a lack of inspiration. There are undoubtedly songs on here that you will deem worthwhile, and that is also no coincidence, because for all of its formulaic approaches,
King still does occasionally hit the nail on the head. ‘King’, ‘Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes’, and ‘Back to One’ are all standouts and potential singles that are worth a glance from both dedicated and casual fans alike; but the majority of the time, O.A.R. seems content to take the easy route of crafting simplistic, happy-go-lucky pop tunes. It’s a little bit like acing a test from five grades below you; it is familiar, and it certainly feels good to breeze through, but there’s nothing remotely challenging about it. In the end you will just feel like you are wasting your time, and with all the great pop music being released this year, your money is probably better spent elsewhere.
