Review - Capital Cities - In A Tidal Wave of Mystery

Capital Cities are this year’s “band-that-everyone-is-picking-up-on-that-has-actually-been-around-for-several-years”, and their hit song “Safe & Sound” is the annual “wow-this-song-is-great-what-do-you-mean-its-been-out-for-two-years?”. Okay, I’m done with that.

The duo has been working on this album for a few years now, theoretically. The band had a small following, and they were doing alright, releasing a single here and there…and then “Safe & Sound” happened.

Now, I’m not going to say that this is the big smash of the year, because it’s not. The track has been percolating for months – if not years – on the charts in various countries, and it has gotten as far as #56 in the US (and rising). Don’t expect the song to be this year’s “Call Me Maybe”, but do expect it to raise this band’s profile.

It is a good thing that “Safe & Sound” is the album’s opener, because nothing else on the 12-track affair comes close to the radio-friendliness or catchiness to be found on the lead single. This isn’t to say that the album isn’t fun, just that this might be a one-and-done.

A mix of 80’s new wave and a heavy reliance on keyboards and clever/quirky titles and lyrics fill the remainder of the album, and while some are more fun than others, Top 40 radio fans looking for an album of summer hits are going to be disappointed.

To be perfectly honest, as much as I like this band and am rooting for them, I’m not sure they have differentiated themselves enough from groups like Chromeo (this basically could have been from them and no one would have noticed) to sustain a long career.

Listen to: “Safe & Sound”, “Kangaroo Court”, “Patience Gets Us Nowhere Fast”, “Center Stage”, which plays up this new disco resurgence happening.

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