The Girls

Yes No Yes No Yes No (2008)

OverDefined

If you want your music played in an Urban Outfitters, buy this record and do exactly as the Girls do. First, get a "the" name that doesn't really describe you (the band is all dudes). Then, get some synths and make sure to use tons of dance beats. Write some slightly catchy, lyrically vague choruses. Then, throw in some lightly distorted jerky guitars, but not too much -- synths are more important. Wait, don't forget the fake accent (not that I know what accent it's supposed to be -- maybe something between Devo's vocal approach and a British twang; pronounce "er" words with "ah," like, say, "disastah"). Then just to look right in the artwork, use black and white with some pink thrown in. Also, just to be different make sure the members' eyes are marked out or even better; make sure they're all wearing shades. Take this formula for each song, don't stray too far and you might just be the soundtrack to ironic consumerism.

I'm not a hater of music like this, per se, as I liked the first Futureheads and first Liars albums, two bands that helped bring about this wave of too-hip dance bands. However, at least the Futureheads had all those crazy vocal parts and Liars are an artsy band that seem to have something to say (don't ask me what it is, though). The Girls just sound like stylistic posturing and it does nothing for me.

The only redeeming factor on this is the synth playing. They use some interesting tones that cut through really well and occasionally play something creative. However, they soon ruin it by throwing in the hip-guy vocals and that overused upbeat hi-hat beat.

Even though this was released on normally-solid Dirtnap Records, I would recommend avoiding this record unless you want to feel like you're shopping all the time.