Celebrity - Lovesick

This album is one of my worst musical fears realized; Lovesick is the Yanni of alternative rock. It took me a good five listens to this album to even discern one track from another. All of them begin with a long, fuzzy guitar introduction followed by the singer wailing away as if in pain, repeating the same droning melodies over and over. To make matters worse, an expectedly generic lovesick message ("remember me", "maybe it was something in the air", "I want you right here with me") is continuously regurgitated before the song drops into a quiet chorus with a simple drumbeat. Unfortunately, it does not stop there, as they continue the repition of the chorus over and over again. Basically, expect lazy songwriting, because that's the album in a nutshell. Even the production of this album sounds weak. I think the engineer set all the controls at the same level and went out to lunch. Nothing stands out, the rhythm section is barely audible, and the singer actually sounds like he is straining (not in the good way). The band, who hail from Nashville, site 80s British rock and American post-hardcore as interests and perhaps influences, but I do not hear any of this in their music. This may appeal to those who enjoy the emotional types of "emo-esque" rock (ala Thursday), but I am not even sure that the right niche for Celebrity. Fact of the matter is there are other bands that write this kind of music and do a much, much better job. [www.iamcelebrity.com]