Sugarcult - Palm Trees and Power Lines (CD)

All Music Guide

Sugarcult's 2001 debut, Start Static, had its share of filler, but the band that brought listeners "Stuck in America" and "Bouncing Off the Walls" certainly understood the power and marketability of shoutable choruses and giddy hooks played loud. Palm Trees and Power Lines, their sophomore majorlabel effort, might not be as direct, meaning they want to trade a bit of the bubblegum for some mallpunk songwriting cred. Its formula a clutch of upbeat rockers paced out with a few girlfriendpleasing ballads is exactly the same, so the album will still please most of Sugarcult's Warped Tour constituency. But there's a sense that its hooks are more murky, that perhaps the bandmembers are aiming for some "seriousness" this time around. "Champagne" could be about the perils of celebrity overconsumption; its cleanedup Nirvana vocals carry over to the cleansed SoCal punk of "What You Say." "She's the Blade" mixes some minor chords into its tale of backstabbing romance, but is still guided by gid...dy pick slides and a headbouncing singalong chorus. Even lead single "Memory" nixes the fullon anthemic antics of blink182, instead coopting the faceless, vaguely punkinfluenced hard rock model of, say, American HiFi. This is what makes Palm Trees a bit strange. It includes the melodrama of "Back to California," and consistently dials back the giddiness that defined Static. Luckily, whether through its thick, glossy production or the band's own desire to make the kids happy not make them think Sugarcult keep Palm Trees on a mostly enjoyable track. All groups deserve the chance to stretch their songwriting chops a bit, and Sugarcult do here, but they know their niche is in direct guitar chops and inclusionary lyrics. "All I want to do/Is lie in bed with you," they sing in "Worst December," and even if you can't figure out what the song's supposed to be is it punk? Is it pop? Is it Toad the Wet Sprocket covering Jawbreaker? it probably works just fine for the kids. In the end, after their dalliance with Being Serious, Sugarcult are thankfully more concerned with pleasing the crowd than making a statement. - Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide Read more Less