Mellowdrone – Box

Artist: Mellowdrone

Title: Box

Label: Columbia

Rating: 6/10

FILE UNDER: Radiohead they are not.

CORPORATE LINE: Mellowdrone’s singer, guitarist and chief songwriter, Jonathan Bates admits that he has a compulsive streak when it comes to making music. “I don’t like playing a song the same way twice, which will either win people over or do me in,” he says with a laugh. “For me a song is never really done because the possibilities are limitless if you start out with a great chord progression and a strong melody. That’s what fascinates me about songwriting–once you have the foundation, you can build anything you want on top of it and then you can tear it down and start over again.”

Box–Mellowdrone’s debut on 3 Records/Red Ink–was recorded in various Los Angeles studios. The eclectic collection captures the Los Angeles-based quartet’s mercurial vision with 13 songs that shift effortlessly from moody space-pop that ripples with otherworldly textures (“Limb to Limb” and “Four Leaf Clover”) to razor-sharp synth-pop pulsating with dance beats (“Oh My” and “Amazing”) to brooding new wave imbued with slyly infectious melodies (“Beautiful Day,” “And Repeat,” and “Fashionably Uninvited”).

THE GOOD:
“Fashionable Uninvited” – Even though Mellowdrone steals from Kent and Aqualung it’s impossible to ignore the melody.
“F*** It Man” – The verses are merely okay—however the chorus is striking not because of the profanity. The hook is good and gets you singing along.

THE AVERAGE:
“Oh My” – Oh my… it’s so generic.
“Four Leaf Clover” – Again, another generic song that sounds too familiar.
“Beautiful Day” – The cute little piano and tender vocals sound promising.
“Orange Marmalade” – A ballad that oddly enough doesn’t sound any slower than the rest of the album. The only difference between this and the songs that go unnoticed is a nice chorus that could suck a lesser soul in.

THE BAD:
Nothing.

FRANKLY: Mellowdrone is too self-absorbed. Every song is low-key and plodding. If you like Radiohead there is a chance you might like this if you don’t mind losing the wit and irony. If you want to listen to someone whining there is plenty of that on songs like “Amazing” and “Limb to Limb.” Box isn’t all bad. There are occasions of brilliance—even if it is borrowed.

+ Rae Gun