Quantcast

Call for Music Critics and Music Bloggers

Music
cover art

Black Tie Revue

Code Fun

(Gearhead; US: 17 Apr 2007; UK: 28 May 2007)

On their full-length debut, Pittsburgh rockers Black Tie Revue breeze their way through ten high-spirited tracks in a matter of just over twenty-eight minutes. Yet, the band packs a wealth of sound into that timeframe, drawing on a confluence of catalyzing musical forces to guide and shape their work. Mixing the unrelenting energy and ragged riffs of ‘70s punk with carefree melodies and just enough solo keyboard passages to recall the sounds of new wave, the band’s infectious attitude weaves its way throughout the project. Bottom line: think Weezer with less cerebral self-loathing (and therefore packing a lighter punch) or American Hi-Fi without the pandering to radio programmers. The album’s best tracks come early: opening tracks “Red Everywhere” and “I’m So Sure” are a quality one-two combination while “Call Waiting” is a delightfully buoyant pop/rock tune. Cuts like “Too Much Thinking” and “Absent Radio” come across as busier and less inspired; additionally, when the band stops to catch their breath even if just for a moment, as on the open to “Vegas Sticks”, the results are less engaging. While the album offers little in the way of substance for listeners to grasp onto, Code Fun lives up to its name and is an enjoyable ride through the world of Black Tie Revue.

Rating:

Tagged as: black tie revue
Comments
Now on PopMatters
Call for Music Critics and Music Bloggers (Announcements) [Tue, 3:00 pm]
Bone and Bell Release Second EP (Mixed Media) [Tue, 10:00 am]
Cannes 2012: Day 9 - 'Student' + 'In the Fog' (Notes from the Road) [Tue, 9:00 am]
The 10 Greatest Aspects of the 'Star Wars' Franchise (Short Ends and Leader) [Tue, 8:00 am]
Devil May Cry: HD Collection (Reviews) [Tue, 6:45 am]
The Walkmen: Heaven (Reviews) [Tue, 2:00 am]
  1. The Top 10 Overplayed Songs You Hate by Artists You Love (Sound Affects)
  2. Tea with 'Sherlock': Investigating the Investigators (Features)
  3. Sunk? This 'Battleship' Stunk! (Short Ends and Leader)
  4. Tenacious D: Rize of the Fenix (Reviews)
  5. Top Ten Lost Midwest Punk Singles (Sound Affects)
  6. Like 'Doom', In Heels (Moving Pixels)
  7. 10 Pieces of Cinematic Art That Require Revisiting (Short Ends and Leader)
  8. Punk Rock's Pet Sounds: An Interview with Bomb the Music Industry! (Features)
  9. She's a Rainbow: A Tribute to Donna Summer (Features)
  10. Counterbalance No. 82: U2's 'Achtung Baby' (Sound Affects)
  11. 'Albatross': A Not-So-Weighty Coming-of-Age Meets Mid-Life-Crisis Film (Reviews)
  12. Counterbalance No. 83: The Stooges' 'Fun House' (Sound Affects)
  13. We Will Avenge Them Or… Be Avenged?: The Individual in the US Experience (Features)
  14. The Queen and Her Crayons: An Interview With Donna Summer (Features)
  15. The Best Canadian Records of the Year? The Fun Agony of Voting for the Polaris Prize Long List (Sound Affects)
  16. Killer Mike: R.A.P. Music (Reviews)
  17. Flash Points: Mommy's Breast, Marriage Equality and Why Chipotle Is King (Features)
  18. Sherlock Holmes, Dirk Gently and the Case of the Eccentric Detective (Columns)
  19. Early Summer 2012 New Music Playlist (Mixed Media)
  20. Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death (Columns)
  21. The 10 Greatest Aspects of the 'Star Wars' Franchise (Short Ends and Leader)
  22. In Support of Supports (Moving Pixels)
  23. Flash Points: Chicks, Sluts and Facebook (Features)
  24. In Defense Of... Rock Radio: A Force in Popular Culture (Columns)
  25. The Cult: Choice of Weapon (Reviews)
  26. Garbage: Not Your Kind of People (Reviews)
  27. Saint Etienne: Words and Music (Reviews)
  28. Willie Nelson: Heroes (Reviews)
  29. 'People's Pornography': The Mundanities of Pornography and Surveillance Culture (Reviews)
  30. Feeling '80s Spirit: Post-Hardcore Punk for the Plastic Generation (Columns)
PM Picks
Music Archive
Announcements

© 1999-2012 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved.
PopMatters.com™ and PopMatters™ are trademarks
of PopMatters Media, Inc.

PopMatters is wholly independently owned and operated.
PopMatters is a member of BUZZMEDIA Music, MOG and Guardian Select.