FFWD Weekly
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| CD Review by Aubrey McInnis THE RENTALS • Contributors include Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Damon Albarn (Blur), Miki Berenyi (Lush) and Petra Haden (that dog). • Composed in Barcelona (where Matt Sharp wandered around drunk with a dictaphone) and recorded in London. Thankfully, you don’t have to feel guilty when suppressing persistent and overwhelming yawns during the course of The Rentals latest steaming stinker, Seven More Minutes. It’s not like the actual band – or anyone else for that matter – is going to be lingering around to witness your new Guinness World Record for being the first to pass out due to boredom from a flat audio recording. The Rentals begin their tepid sophomore record with the single "Getting By," a So-Cal gone synth number. By the last remaining seconds of the album, they end up in murky new wave territory with nothing memorable to reflect upon besides the numerous times you might have found yourself turning down the volume. The springy and bouncy songs of their debut album, Return of the Rentals, which bolted out of the gate as quickly as a racehorse, are gone. All we have to wade through on Seven More Minutes are stressful thoughts that maybe there are a few reputable musicians who have unfortunately run out of notes to string together. Taking up too much time repeating themselves, The Rentals’ sleepy music can’t support their snore-along lyrics. Not only did Matt Sharp – as genius as he was a few years ago – leave Weezer, it sounds like he left behind his Midas touch and upbeat creativity. 2/5 |
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