Surely it’s only a matter of time before ‘Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above’ earns itself a re-release, as in true Gossip style CSS are dangerously nearing the point where their album of the moment has had its hits extinguished.
‘Off The Hook’ follows in the footsteps of the aforementioned debut and its ‘Alala’ successor in so much as it’s a catchy indie-rock number that you could quite easily pull a shape or two to down the local disco, but it’s hardly rocket science. While it’s true that great pop needn’t be unnecessarily complex, arrangements like this lack even the smallest of winning hooks (appropriate perhaps, given its title) required to drag in the passing trade.
Whereas CSS’s first two singles were bona-fide smashes that should’ve been racked by the checkout in Tesco for the easiest of acquiring, this deserves to get itself lost in the dustiest racks of the largest HMV. It tells us nothing more about the Brazilian sextet, and only highlights that they’ve far better songs in their catalogue: songs that have already been released.
Songs that will, inevitably, rise again to tickle the chart’s lower end in the not-so-distant future.
That's a fair assessment
There are much stronger songs on the record. Somebody must have felt "Off the Hook" was more American-sounding or something. They made a pretty cool video (all over YouTube) with oddball reverse-action video that was so tightly-synced that you had to look twice to realize it wasn't going forward.
I really love this band. They're not as lightweight happy-pop as a lot of critics think. There's a much darker edge hidden down in the riffs. And their videos all have a subtle, very sly sense of humor. I think their next LP is going to surprise the hell out of a lot of people.
Agreed.
-
i think
CSS are pretty sexual. a fair review i think. hopefully they'll be a goodun live in april
Alcohol
has the balls to be a hit. this doesn't
bollocks
i really think off the hook is one of the best on the album, it reminds me a bit of sleater-kinney which makes me happy...
alala was a poor choice as single and possibly the worst track on the album..
to be fair css are milking it but they've been touring like mofo's as well..
Ive never seen
a band tour so much.
OK track
from an OK album...
CSS have only 2 or 3 really exciting songs for me...
Let's Make Love
is indeed (apparently) coming back out next - note this is their first Warners release.
The one thing nobody mentions about their album but as far as I can tell everyone implicitly suggests is they're a particularly average artrock outfit who only become ace when keyboards and a proper sequenced electro undertow are inserted (see previous two singles). And what was the first thing Sub Pop did with the Brazilian version of the album when bringing it over to Western markets? Of course, rejig the tracklisting to leave a lot of the more electronically inclined stuff out.
i was
really considering buying the album until i heard this - but if this is considered one of the better songs off the album, then it really doesnt bode well. x
can't
not succumb to that brazilian charm....um.