The newest effort from Razor and Tie’s power pop wonders The Summer Set, is more predictable than powerful, more centered than edgy, and more of the same old recipe we hear over and over on today’s airwaves. A production masterpiece through and through, Love Like This has all the sonic power of a fighter jet, but has a hard time lifting it’s weakness of emotion and content to a level of greatness this band well deserves.
The first track, “The Boys You Do,” is a hooky gem and more than musically proficient, but it is so commercially sweet that the edge disappears quickly into a shiny T.V. show theme haze. The music is tight but is quickly loosened by much too much syrup and glaze. “Punch Drunk Love” is very predictable and tries too hard to be the perfect hit recipe. The mix and ideas are dead on but its delivery is a tired rendition of hundreds of songs that have come before without an original note in the piece.
The tune “Chelsea” reminds me of a song given to us first by the brilliant power rock master’s Waltham in the late nineties, but with much less passion and feeling. If it had a bit more heart, it might have saved itself and been believable. “Young” has an excellent pop feel, great hooky presence, and brilliant chorus, but once again the style and production carry the load as the weak feelings sink its spirit.
“Take it Slow” follows another predictable path on a journey towards pop perfection and falls a bit flat by it’s conclusion. “Can You Find Me” is another tune, which, with a bit more edge, could have real hit potential. Like many of its counterparts, it is just too sweet for it’s own good. “Love Like This” has some good edgy expressions and smooth instrumentation, but the keyboards make it very cheesy and take the wind out of its sails. The three tracks that follow, “Girls Freak Me Out,” “Passenger Seat” and “This is How We Live,” all fall into the same groove of excellent production and no feel. Each have the potential of being super hot, edgy and brilliant, but lack the real quality of true rock songs.
Ironically, the final track, “Where Are You Now,” pulls together all the perfect elements, which produce an excellent pop song. It is sweet and thoughtful without pushing it too far into the sugar bowl. It sets a great mood, which carries a lovely texture of honesty throughout the song. A wonderful duet highlighting the vocals of Dia Frampton (Meg & Dia) made this tune smart, warm, and beautiful. Finishing with this tune reminds the listener that The Summer Set is a wonderful band, with great musicianship and the ability to rock as hard as any other outfit on the airwaves. It is also their saving grace and possibly, if they haven’t thought of the idea, has produced a brilliant single that could pull this album up by its bootstraps.
This band should take the obvious cream that floats to the top and whip it into something brilliant for the future. Putting their love into the right mold and adding some believable angst and emotion could have made this record shine beyond its production quality. Love Like This should have more passion and less romance on its surface. At it’s core, The Summer Set is a band I could love and not take out of my player, but falling for a pretty face is not always the best idea. Hearing what makes the heart beat always makes the love stronger.
"Love Like This" is on sale October 13, 2009 from Razor and Tie.
