2

What?! No! No, no, NO!! Look, why is it that every band that dares to tread shoegaze territory, no matter how gingerly, is immediately compared to My Bloody Valentine? MBV are not the be-all and end-all of the early Nineties downward stare and MBV are definitely not the be-all and end-all of the current crop of downward-starers. The times - get with them.

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With 2, a slightly louder, more expansive re-imagining of their 2006 debut, L.A.'s Darker My Love continue pushing slick, devil-may-care psych rock, meticulously modeled after like-minded Californians who've either exhausted their dangling-cigarette cool (B.R.M.C.), pissed away their potential (Brian Jonestown Massacre), or simply never had much hope in the first place (the Warlocks). However, even in its natural habitat (say, Bomp! Records ca. 1999), 2 would still sound exhausting and redundant.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2008