According to your parents, you are only as good as the company you keep. So it bears mentioning that it didn't take long for
Remy Zero's ambiguous acoustica to find a home in the ears of
Radiohead as well as -- to a much, much lesser extent --
Travis and
Sting. No wonder. Situated against the youthful excesses of the British indie contingent or the shy "roots"-obsessed American underground,
Villa Elaine shows the band off as duty-bound traditionalists. The doo wop dollop "Hollow" folds over your backside like a cozy blanket, with a march-like drumbeat and Cinjun Tate's best
Thom Yorke karaoke impersonation. These songs echo a newly discovered idea for soft acoustic "rock" tunes, but they lack a power that can rise above such orthodoxy. This is certainly true of the gutless "Gramarye" or the incoherent grumbling on "Wither Vulcan." In better moments, the intent for tunes is sometimes more successful. "Motorcycle" mixes some sensual, shackled,
A Storm in Heaven-style guitar with a trickling (almost country) vocal. "Goodbye Little World" is a spry
Beatlesque drill of strumming chords and homely reunion. As far as musical wake-up calls are concerned, though,
Villa Elaine is one of the dangers of playing it too safe. The band may have moved away from the abstract soundscapes of their past, yet their penchant for heading towards pleasing the bland fans of
Britney Spears cover bands and socially conscious Dune actors does the world no good at all. Mostly nondescript and flavorless, this is the kind of music for people who don't like music very much. [The 2008 edition included one bonus track.] ~ Dean Carlson