The Rosebuds: Life Like

The Rosebuds: Life Like The Rosebuds' fourth full-length album, Life Like sees them turn away from 80s new wave in favor of a more lush pop sound. The band consists of guitarist Ivan Howard and keyboardist/bassist Kelly Crisp. The two switch on and off vocal duties. The band employs drummers for recording sessions and touring but has not had a full-time drummer since 2003. The band has been inconsistent their entire career. Their debut, The Rosebuds Make Out was their most critically successful. The album was simple, up-tempo power pop. They followed that album with Birds Make Good Neighbors, a dark album filled with Southern Gothic style. Last year they released Night of the Furies. The record was dark and filled with discontent but with a new wave edge. Now, the Rosebuds release Life Like. The album sees them stray to a happy medium between their debut album and its two successors. The album is atmospheric and often dark but it is strangely poppy. It straddles the line between shoe-gaze and indie pop. Often times the Rosebuds sound eerily like The Stone Roses. The album suffers from several lulls. The aptly titled "Black Hole" sucks all the life out of the record, while the playfully titled "Nice Fox" is playful yet ultimately unfulfilling. The album has a few great tracks, but most tracks fall into the mediocre category while I'd only put one or two tracks in the unlistenable bin. In the end, I don't think this album will be getting many spins from despite how much I enjoy supporting Merge Record artists. Rating: 5.3/10 MP3: The Rosebuds "Boarder Guard" Buy: iTunes, Insound