Central Services: Central Services

Central Services
Central Services
2007-03-13

The best thing about Central Services’ self-titled debut is its production. The sound of the record hearkens back to ’70s guitar pop, with a warm, organic production and fuzzy guitars. It is a welcome nuance to a record that, without that distinction, toes the line between recognizable melody and generic power-pop. “4 Letter Word” is the best rocker on the album, providing bouncy guitars and the most distinctive, stick-in-your-head hooks. “Fun (While It Lasted)” is a solid acoustic number. Backed by shuffling drums, the song seems the best fit for singer Jeff Blancato’s vocals. At times, his voice is a fitting pop croon, while on other tracks he sounds too pristine to be believable. Central Services is bound, inevitably, to find their niche soundtracking some WB sitcom — which isn’t to say their record is bad, maybe just overly simple.

RATING 5 / 10