Kicking off with sprightly TV theme synths and beats, a sudden chunk of guitar, and his understated, breathy singing,
Kyle Andrews starts
Robot Learn Love almost a bit like Marc Bolan, if he'd lived long enough to hear synth pop but couldn't keep the rock out of his system. (Then again, given a lot of his song titles, it might be less Bolan than
Prince.) Either way, it's an appropriate formulation given how tightly wound up the two approaches seem to be in 21st century indie rock, now that America seems to have finally gotten over its paranoia about electronics, at least to some degree.
Andrews himself had already worked that out, but
Robot Learn Love seems to gleefully push the buttons further, as something that isn't a dance album by any stretch of the imagination but would give any number of rock purists the hives. Not least because a prime feeling on the album is joy, with just enough of a desperate edge to not feel cloying, even with the sentiments on a song like "Turn the Radio Up." On songs where it feels more like a straight-up rock number with electronic bits and pieces, such as the string-swamped "Bigger" or "Bombs Away," the feeling is a little less fluid than if done by someone like
James Yuill, though on the flipside,
Andrews showcases an ear for radio-ready pop rock straight-up for the 2000s as a result. It's pretty easy to imagine such a song like "I'm Coming 2 Get U" on a trailer or at a notable moment in a TV episode when the young leads are in some sort of melodramatic activity, and sometimes that's all that's desired. If
Robot Learn Love comes across as essentially a continual restatement of the title theme --
Andrews' often treated voice reaches out on subjects like "Heart U 4 Ever" over easygoing but busy arrangements and guitar riffs -- it's still enjoyably accomplished, a slew of straight-up hooks one after another: power pop in a different guise. Winning song title of the bunch: "Lazer Tag with Imaginary Friends." ~ Ned Raggett