The Return are an unapologetic throwback to the pre-
Synchronicity Police, when
Sting,
Andy Summers, and
Stewart Copeland were mixing the rhythms of reggae into bombastic British art rock, creating a hybrid that at its best transcended both styles. However, this California-based trio don't even close to prime
Police as either songwriters or performers, and as a result,
Danger Danger Silent Stranger sounds like a particularly listless re-creation of a bygone period of rock history. They are as
the Killers are to
Duran Duran, as
Bloc Party are to
Gang of Four, and as
Art Brut are to
the Fall, but they lack the cheeky spunk and pop suss of those bands. That leaves very little of interest in these 12 songs (plus one unlisted track, a lengthy instrumental that rehashes some bits of the rest of the album), either in terms of Derek Jennings' studiedly Brit-sounding lead vocals, the insipid lyrics, or the trio's technically impressive but otherwise uninspired reinterpretation of new wave-era cod-reggae. Devoted fans of
the Police, the Ruts, or
the Members might vaguely appreciate this approximation of a punky reggae party, but even they're likely to find it disappointing. ~ Stewart Mason