Would it be a bit too glib of me to say that The Stereotypes are a stereotypical power pop band? Glib, maybe, but not entirely accurate. This San Diego band's fourth album (yes, the previous ones were titled 1, 2, and 3) isn't purely power pop, but will still appeal to most anyone reading this blog.
The Stereotypes style themselves as "indie", but they definitely fall on the poppier, accessible side of indie music. Opener "All My Life" is a good example of this, sounding a lot like indie darlings Matt Pond PA with its driving, melodic sound. On the other hand, "Love Can Change" would have the hipsters at Pitchfork looking down their noses, as its sunny melody and warm backing vocals make it come off as a slightly heavier-sounding Wondermints tune. "Pink Sand" is hard-driving yet tuneful, but the real standout here is "Our Time", has a great Brit-Pop-by-way-of-Teenage-Fanclub sound complete with a killer melody. "Butterflies" is cut from the same cloth, and is almost as good. Meanwhile "Mansion" reminds me of The Broken West/The Brokedown, and "Happy Ending" is just that. The bottom line: 4 is a very good disc from an overlooked band. And after all, that's why you're here.
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I *love* the stereotypes! "3" was by far and away my favourite album of 2005. They remind me of the church a lot. I did a little review of "4" here.
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