The Rasmus - Dead Letters

The Rasmus’ Dead Letters sounds like something I’d really dig if I were a 13 year-old girl. It delivers catchy pop-rock tune after catchy pop-rock tune, served up by four black-clad Fins led by a mischievous (but not too mischievous) singer with weird hair. Don’t lie to me; this is exactly what you’d like if you were a 13 year-old girl too. Each of the 11 tracks that make up Dead Letters is a free-standing pop-rock nugget armed with all the edge of a bowling ball. There are some harmlessly heavy moments (“In My Life”), and there are some teary-eyed introspective confessions (“Funeral Song”). There are no surprises. It is not meant to be played the whole way through, but skipped right to your favorite track for 3-4 minutes of sing-along bliss. “In the Shadows” leads things off with a big, bouncy chorus and hooks a-plenty. The five and a half minute ballad “Not Like the Other Girls” feels epic in comparison to the rest of the album and is the only step they take toward anything remotely challenging. The bonus track (I know this because it’s labeled “Bonus Track:”) “F-F-F-Falling” sounds exactly like you’d think a pop song titled “F-F-F-Falling” would. The thing that saves The Rasmus from irrelevance is their completely honest delivery. And no matter what you think of the style, you gotta give it to them for that. This quality cannot be over-valued in today’s musical climate. If you have honesty, you can pretty much get away with anything. Singer Lauri Ylönen may evoke Richard Marx at times, but it’s done without a hint of irony. I have to admit, if pop radio still sounded like this, I’d tune in more often. [www.rasmusdeadletters.com]