Quick 'N Dirty Review: Shout Out Louds | Work

Before we start, here's a quick look at the rating system that we use here at The Dirtywhirl:

100 - Classic Album; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Get This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Get This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Ears Bleed; Won't Make You Dance, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably) 

Now... onto the review:

Shout Out Louds | Work

We're taught from the time that we begin school to never judge a book by its cover. Just as anything this isn't an absolute, though. There are plenty of times that you CAN judge an album by its cover, or that there are enough times where an album's cover will end up dovetailing nicely with its sound and tone. Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon for example - you know you're going to get a spacey mindtrip looking at those triangles and rainbows. Personally (and this is going to be a left field choice) John Mayer's Heavier Things with its grayish/blueish hue and Mayer standing forlornly with his guitar evokes the melancholy feel of the majority of that record to me. Why do I bring this seemingly strange point up now? Take a look at that picture to the left. Fairly boring black and white portrait of the Shout Out Louds, right? Not very exciting and nothing really jumps out at you, does it? Congratulations because you now know exactly how this record sounds. After debuting with the largely forgettable Howl Howl Gaff Gaff in 2003, Shout Out Louds surprised many with the Cure-influenced (and therefore Dirtywhirl-approved) Our Ill Wills in 2008. As an admitted Cure freak, I loved that aspect of the album and it set the bar fairly high for the Swedish act's third record, Work, and it's a bar that the band not only failed to clear, but one that they came in very far below. Work is nothing more than the sound of an average band putting out an average record. There's no real crime in that, but there's no joy in it either. Part of the problem is that the beats and energy of Our Ill Wills are largely absent here. Whether that was a deliberate choice by the band is unclear but it's something that's sorely missed. A large chunk of the record sounds like faceless '70s AM soft rock ("Play The Game," "Paper Moon") and lacks the personality that the band displayed on Our Ill Wills. Clearly, Shout Out Louds are at their best when they're able to craft strong hooks on tracks like "Throwing Stones," "Show Me Something New," and, to a lesser extent, lead single "Walls." They also demonstrate that they're adept with gentle melodies on "Too Late Too Slow," but too much of Work has a throwaway quality that does Shout Out Louds no favors. To be completely honest, I listened to this record once or twice when I first got it and then put it aside for the simple fact that there really isn't anything that's strong enough here to deserve my time. Although being average in the music industry isn't the worst thing - many average bands are able to break through for one reason or another - it's not really the best way to get noticed either. Work could serve as a (bland) case study in that theory.

Standout Tracks: "Too Late Too Slow;" "Throwing Stones"

Dirty Rating: 50/100