Wow, my first review here in a few months. I hope I haven't lost my touch heh. So what have we got here, then? Action Action, the only band on Victory to sound like they are from the 80's, have managed to sidestep the gimmick phase and create a second album. I'm impressed, since their debut,
Don't Cut Your Fabric To This Year's Fashion, was brilliantly composed and catchy at the same time.
This is a bit of a different story. The melodies in the songs are again easy to follow and, more importantly, stick in your head. Songs like "Smoke And Mirrors" and "Paper Cliché" have an everlasting flow of synthesizer magic that seems to work so well. And yet, the album feels a little darker as well, as if The Addams Family are going to walk through the door any second. The vocals especially add to this eerie feeling, and I think it's a brilliant addition to the album.
As mentioned before, this band does feel dated. Maybe that's part of their charm, and why I like them, but everything about them screams the 80's. The vocal effects from "A Tornado; An Owl" and the combinations of funky synth beats and a pounding drum fill from "Analogue Logic" bring a sense of originality to a scene so drowned out by blandness. This album feels like The Killers got a dose of character, and then got kicked off a major label. But that's what makes it so great to listen to.
So if I love it this much, why is it only getting 3.5/5? The fact of the matter is, that this might be original for a music scene like today's, but it's exactly the same as AA's previous effort, just a little bit poppier and a little bit more polished. Maybe it's because I thought their first album was so well recorded, but this just feels the same. And that might be good for some fans, but I personally like a little difference when I listen to 2 albums from the same band. Not too much, but enough to tell them apart. My other gripe is the length of it. A few of the songs drag out for far too long, which isn't good when the middle of the album is filled with slower tracks.
I suggest listening to this if you are all for the electronica phase pop-punk is going through, or if you are a fan of bands like The Killers or Kieser Chiefs. I think it all depends on how you liked their first album if you are already a fan. My only suggestion is to check this out and decide for yourself. Who knows, you might end up with something you find really fun (That's not to say I don't, of course). But personally, I'd wait for Men, Women & Children's debut (Which I have heard, and it is astonishingly addictive), and Head Automatica's follow-up.
[url]http://www.action-action.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.purevolume.com/actionaction[/url] (Listen to "Paper Cliché" and "The Game" from this CD)
