Orange Peels - Square (CD)

All Music Guide

The Orange Peels' Allen Clapp is a songwriter firmly planted in the classic power-pop tradition; on Square, he follows the genre's standard formula of bright, ringing guitars and effortlessly catchy melodies to the letter, but brings to the table so much assurance and fresh-scrubbed energy that the album never feels like anything but a breath of fresh air. To be certain, Square doesn't offer listeners anything they haven't heard before -- Clapp's reedy vocals at times suggest Matthew Sweet, and a handful of his melodies seem a little too familiar for comfort -- but anytime classic pop is delivered with this much flair and affection, it's impossible to quibble; in a perfect world, the standout "Something Strange Happens" would become a smash, although it's not difficult to imagine any one of the album's 14 tracks finding a home on the hit parade.

- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide