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New Frequency

(Virgin; US: 8 May 2012; UK: 8 May 2012)

New Frequency shows promise but is ultimately too lackluster to make any major waves.

New Frequency indicates that speakers are certainly a talented ensemble but it also highlights their weakness: their tendency to succumb to trendiness. In the strongest moments they end up coming off as a second-tier The Knux and in their weakest, a radio-rap knockoff. It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine speakers breaking out sometime soon, they’ve got all the key elements of a major label pop-rap act. There’s the thumping EDM-tinged beds of sound, dumb-catchy melodies, and an overt accessibility. There are moments in New Frequency‘s closing track, “Runnin’ It”, that do hint at a possible uniqueness that would be fascinating to see them exploit even further. All things considered, this is a decent introduction to speakers and worth at least a listen.

Rating:

Born, raised, and living in the heart of Wisconsin, Steven spends his time toiling away at various entertainment projects whenever the opportunity crosses his path. Putting a lot of time into incessantly writing about entertainment, creating his own, consuming music and music trivia at an alarming rate, and shooting still or moving film at nearly every presented chance has led him here. He frequently contributes reviews and interviews to Playground Misnomer, which can be accessed here: http://www.playgroundmisnomer.com.


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