The Starlite Desperation, Take It Personally

Was it around 2003 when there was an explosion of bands reviving the ’70s bluesy garage-pop thing? Well, the Starlite Desperation has that sound down to a T, and if they had released Take It Personally five years ago, they would have been at the forefront of that movement. Today, though, they just sound late, part of the remaining traces of a limp musical pulse that probably shouldn’t have flourished as long as it did.

It’s pretty difficult to get past the album’s utter genericness. The obvious dirty riffs and handclaps on “Spirit Army” would have made the song a perfect substitute for the horribly overplayed Jet song on that iPod commercial with the spastic silhouette, and you’ll swear you’ve heard the main hook to “My Favorite Place” before because slightly modified versions of it can be found just about anywhere.

The Starlite Desperation does find some redemption, however, in their creepier-sounding songs. The macabre punk-plucking of “My Violin” is intriguingly sinister, and “I Lost my Bees part 2” has sort of a dizzying effect, a perfect soundtrack to someone’s downward spiral. The chaotic closer “Don’t Wait Till After You Die” blends together sprawling, abrasive guitar and flat-out danceable bass lines into something genuinely admirable. Though Take It Personally‘s high points aren’t enough to enthusiastically recommend the album, the glimpses of substance should at least keep the band on people’s radar.