by Daniel Berman
Staff Photographer

If Blink 182, Duran Duran and Fall Out Boy decided to
have a love child, they might produce the unlikely band
known as Metro Station.

The band blends a variety of music genres for their unique
sound: lyrics that recall current pop dynasties, drum kits
that recall the early 1980s and keyboards that sound like
they are permanently set to The Rocket Summer setting.
Their self-titled debut album, however, is consistent. Each song manages to find a quirky hook, jazz it up and electronically beat the hell out of it. I wonder if the band is insecure about any part of their music, because it all seems to flow together and jumble.

The opening track “Seventeen Forever” quickly lets the listener know that they are embarking on a love story, the singer crooning, “I can feel your heartbeat… you know where to take me.” As the bouncy electropop surges forward, one can’t help but think that this would be apt as the soundtrack to some yet unseen teen TV drama.

Listening to the lyrics in each song proved to be the most fun. At best they are fun and witty, and at worst they manage to recall the likes of Britney Spears. A few gems include “I wish we were older” and “Whoa, she’s dancing at the disc-oh.” I found my head bobbing to the sixth track, “Now that We’re Done” thanks to its United States of Electronica- like chorus, and fun play-on words within the lyrics. This is the first song on the album where vocals are clear and discernible over the drum kit and keyboard.

The good news about this album is that it is extremely catchy and danceable–and the bad news being that the singer sounds eternally trapped in the eighth grade. In their first album, Metro Station has penned ten songs that manage to sound like everything out there today. For this band to succeed to perhaps a sophomore album, they must find their voice, their style and definitely a new lyricist. Only deep guys can write, “I can’t get enough of her, I need her pumping through my veins.”