A name like
Melee
-- with all its complicated diacritics, with its suggestion of violence -- suggests that this Orange County quartet is standard-issue modern
punk
, perhaps even being a band that tends toward the harder, brutal side of things. Names can be deceiving, however, since their 2007 major-label debut,
Devils & Angels
, is something entirely unexpected: a genuine
pop
album, one that's informed by
new wave
but winds up sounding like a good
rock
record from 1985. Much of this sounds learned second-hand from
Ben Folds
but
is notably lacking in
Folds
' perma-smirk. Even the cover of
Hall & Oates
' classic
"You Make My Dreams"
is done sans irony: unlike many
covers, this is a celebration of song, not cheese. If
Chris Cron
, like many of his peers, has a voice that's a bit too thin to be memorably on its own accord, it works well with the band's exuberant feel and it delivers the hooks simply and cleanly. Plus, they have a way with hooks, particularly on the exhilarating
"Frequently Baby (She's a Teenager Maniac),"
which would be a smash at any time there was either
radio or
MTV
. It may be the best moment here, but the rest of
proves that it's no fluke as it showcases the rare
-
band that places a greater emphasis on
than
to often addictive results. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine