Girls’ lead singer has a voice that ranges somewhere between Elvis Costello and Elvis Costello parody, but despite how they might try, Girls don’t have quite the same ability to process and reappropriate pop’s past the way the venerable Mr. Costello does: while songs like “Lust for Life” and “Hellhole Ratrace” are brimming with sunshine and energy, much of the album strikes one as self-consciously derivative – you’ll want to run through Endless Summer afterwards to pick out exactly which Beach Boys melodies they were lifting – resulting in an album that’s inoffensive, enjoyable, and even brilliant at times, but not quite original enough to be truly impressive.

Rating: 6.5 / 10

September 22, 2009
True Panther