The members of
Dropline
migrated to Los Angeles from suburban enclaves in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois, and the band's debut mimics this relocation by drawing from several fairly organic starting points --
U2
's
pop
drama,
the Goo Goo Dolls
' penchant for the overwrought, the radio radar of contemporaries
Three Doors Down
, a hair of the guitar crunch of
Nickelback
-- and winding up with a glossily produced debut. Oddly enough, the slickness of the dozen tracks detracts from the disc; it tends to make most of them too perfect for their own good, losing spontaneity and energy and a human touch that the mostly heartfelt lyrics don't atone for. Think of it as an
adult alternative
take on "
Mutt Lange
syndrome," even though producer
Paul Ebersold
didn't necessarily do anything wrong -- heck,
might sell millions of impeccably piercing records with
You Are Here
, but you still can't help but wonder what the band thinks of it compared to how the songs sounded in their heads. ~ Brian O'Neill